Soul Nomad Evangelion 2
by Authoritarial Intent
Summary: Shinji Ikari thought his life had problems before. That was before a strange grey-haired jerk named Gig started riding around in his head. Now he knows his life's got problems. Gig Summary: This guy's a total chump, but hey! I'm having fun here! Hahahaha!
1. The Chump and the Badass

Soul Nomad Evangelion 2-_ For Reals this time! _

_Chapter 1:_ _An Ill-fated meeting_

_(three days before the Fourth Angel's attack, inside a gunmetal gray storage room...)_

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Misato?" Shinji asked, unsure of what Misato had just finished telling him.

"Trust me! It's just training to help you get used to using the progressive Knives!" Misato said cheerfully.

Shinji eyed the weird-looking black sword Misato was offering him with suspicion. "But…why use…_that?_"

Misato set the sword down and scratched the back of her head. "Well, we don't have any practice knives around, So I kinda…had to use what I could find. Besides, it's just to get you used to the…i..dea. Idea! Yeah, it's just to get you used to the _idea_of holding a weapon until the real ones show up. Okay?"

"O…okay." Shinji conceded. It would probably be easier to acquiesce to his guardian's wishes than to point out the flaws in her plan. So he hesitantly accepted the sword from her. _Wait, if the Eva uses knives, why am I using this thing? It's almost as big as I am!_ "So…I hold it like…this?" He experimentally hefted the sheathed sword, finding it surprisingly heavy. _Is this thing a sword or a sharp club?_ "So…what now?"

"Now? Well, unsheathe it and just wave it around. Y'know, to get the feel of it."

Shinji blinked. "But, isn't waving a sharp sword around dangerous?"

Misato laughed. "Oh come on. Don't be such a wet blanket. This is a golden chance to act out one of those teenage fantasies, isn't it? Besides, boys love things with sharp edges! It's practically a rule!"

"B-but-" Shinji's eloquent reply was cut off by the ringing of a cell phone.

"Oh, hang on." Misato fished the phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Captain Katsuragi here!...Oh hey Ritz! Yeah, I'm just teaching the kid to- What? …But wasn't it tomorrow?...Okay, okay, I get it. Fine, I'll be right up." Misato flipped the phone shut and sighed. "Well, looks like you're on your own, Shinji. Ritz wants me up for some meeting or something, so you can practice by yourself. Just take a few swings, and just wait for me to get back, okay?"

"…Okay."

"Great! Seeya later!" With that cheery farewell, she slipped out the door, leaving Shinji all by himself.

_Guess I should humour her…_ He picked up the sword, and gave it a few practice swings.

_What's this thing __**made **__out of?_! It felt like he was trying to swing a lead bar around…which, since the sword was still sheathed, he pretty much was.

…_Maybe I can get the sheath off? Probably be a little lighter, anyway._ With that thought, Shinji took hold of the ebony sheath and tried to slide it off.

It didn't move an inch.

"Huh?" Shinji narrowed his eyes, and tried again.

Still nothing.

_Is it not supposed to come off?...Well, it is supposed to be for training, so I guess it's to keep me safe?...But Misato said it was sharp, so…is there a trick to it…? _He mused, turning the thing over in both hands.

He was holding it by the blade when something caught his eye. "…Hang on…this part looks like you can press it-Ah!" Shinji yelled, jumping back as the sword slid out of the sheath and almost onto his foot.

_Ow! Careful you moron!_

"…God, why am I so stupid? I should've been more careful…" He eyed the black sword on the floor carefully. It looked like one of those old European swords he'd seen in one of the books at his uncle's place. Aside from being jet black, (and huge) it was almost a perfect match.

_Huh say what? …Wait this is perfect! Okay dumbass, go on and pick up the sword. It'll be fun!_

_But it's strange. It's just a sword, but it feels…dangerous? _Shinji tilted his head. _No, not dangerous, but close…Like I shouldn't touch it._ "Maybe I'll just tell Misato that I wasn't feeling great after she left." He sighed, turning towards the door.

_Aw come on! All the cool kids love to play with swords! I'll even let you annihilate a country or two!_

He was about to open the door when a thought came unbidden to his lips. "…But I said I'd practice with it, and if it's for the Eva, I'll probably have to do it later anyway…" he shook his head. "Besides, even if I did lie, she'd probably figure it out, or that doctor would." He sighed, turning away from the door and walking back into the room."

_Heh. Just as I thought. Now come on, pick up the sword like a good little tool!_

He reached down…

_That's a good schmuck._

He firmly grasped the sword…

_Almost…_

He lifted it…

_Now!_

And then everything went dark.

* * *

Shinji awoke with a start, only to find himself floating in a black void. "…What just…?"

"Ahahahahaha! _Finally!_It's good to be back!" Laughed a rough voice. Shinji spun around, scared of who might be here with him.

"Wh-who are you?" Shinji asked fearfully, staring at the striking young man in front of him. The black pants, shoes, grey vest and green brooch made the man look somewhat normal, but the rest of his attire wiped that impression out. With ashen hair, black bangles on his wrists, two massive metal shoulder pads sticking out like veined wings and a maniacal grin on his pale face, the young man in front of Shinji looked positively terrifying.

The man shrugged, his shoulder pads bouncing slightly. "Me? Oh, just the most hardcore ass-kicker to ever walk the planet, that's all. The destroyer of everything! The commander of the World Eaters! But hell, you can call me 'Gig'."

"World Eaters?" Even through his all-consuming fear, Shinji still had enough brainpower left to be confused.

The young man's ever present grin twisted into a snarl, like he had just tasted something unpleasant. "What? You don't know what the World Eaters are? Man, you're…" The man trailed off, before shutting his eyes. "…Hang on…What the hell? Where are they?" The man snarled, the veins on his shoulder pads pulsing a bright purple. "...Geh, so they managed to get themselves killed. Oh well. Just means more fun for me, now that I've got you!" Gig shrugged, turning back to Shinji, his grin returned.

"Wh-what are you planning to do?" Shinji cried fearfully, backing away from the terrifying young man.

Gig chuckled. "Man, I haven't even done anything yet and I feel right at home….Do you seriously not get it? I'm taking over your body, dumbass!" Gig declared, advancing on Shinji with a toothy grin.

"No, I won't let you!" Shinji declared, his voice wavering. This declaration seemed to stop Gig in his tracks. _Huh? That worked?_

Gig put a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Dammit, why can't this ever be easy... Okay, look. We have to make a deal before I can use your body. Once we've done that, you can command power totally unknown to the average peon. And if you need more, then you can call on me! I'll lend you power surpassing even a god…for a price. The more of my power you use, the more control I gain over your body. You scratch my back, I crush yours. Pretty awesome, huh?" Gig spread his arms, his smile widening into an ear-to-ear grin.

"…Really?" Shinji said, his curiosity piqued by the freaky young man's offer. _Maybe it wouldn't hurt to at least listen to him…_ "What kind of powers do you have?"

Gig laughed. "Anything you want, kid. I've got more than enough power to burn the entire world to nothing but ash. Anything you want would be yours to have! With my power, nothing in the world could stop you! What do you say?"

_Figures. _"No."

Gig's face fell for a moment, before regaining a slight grin. "Well, do what you want. But if you change your mind, you know where to find me…I'll be waiting! Ahahahahahahaha!" Gig continued to laugh as Shinji's vision darkened, and he fell unconscious.

* * *

With a gasp, Shinji catapulted up to a sitting position on the cold floor. He swung his gaze around wildly for a few moments before he calmed down. "Did…Did that just happen?" He mused, massaging his temples for a moment. So he'd just had one really weird encounter in a black void with a crazy ash-haired boy…asking him to give up his body? Wasn't there a book on stuff like that? Didn't it say that stuff like that meant he was gay?

He really hoped it didn't.

"No way, that couldn't possibly have happened…"

"Oh really?"

He'd _learned_ that voice. "Gah! M-Misato! When did you-I was just-" Shinji jumped to his feet, already trying to fumble an excuse. _How did she-? And when? How long was I out!_

Misato smiled. "I walked in while you were sitting there mumbling to yourself. What happened?"

_It's probably not a good idea to tell her I had a crazy dream about some weird albino person who said they were a god or something and wanted me for my body. _"Uh…Nothing." He lied, hoping she'd buy it.

Misato snorted. "…Right. Mind telling me the truth?" she asked, crossing her arms and gazing levelly at him.

_Dang. _"I…think I hit my head after you left." Shinji rubbed the back of his head for emphasis. _That kinda makes sense. Yeah, I must've picked up the sword and then fallen over because it was too heavy. So I hit my head and that made me have that crazy dream. Yeah….that makes perfect sense!_

"…Mmhmm." Misato was nonplussed. "Well, in that case, I'll have Ritsuko take a look at you." She motioned towards the door. "Head injuries aren't something to just write off."

"…O-Okay." He conceded weakly, trailing after her. _But, did I really dream that up?_

* * *

Misato folded her arms. "So, how long's he got, doc?" She ventured, leaning against the cold concrete wall of the office.

The place was nice, but spartan. Aside from a big oaken desk and a few plants, the place was empty.

The blonde doctor sighed, slipping into a nice leather chair behind her desk. "First, don't call me that. And second, he's fine. Aside from a slight concussion, he's completely unharmed. "

Misato smiled. "Oh, that's good."

Ritsuko narrowed her eyes, leaning back in the chair. "You know, you could've just taken him to the medical wing, instead of giving me even more to do."

The smile on Misato's face was a bit too wide to be genuine. "Eheh…well, I trust you, Ritz. Can't say the same for the guys in medical!" She laughed nervously.

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Translation: you forgot where they were." The suffering in her sigh was practically ancient.

Misato pouted. "…shut up. Anyway, thanks for checking him out. Guess I was worried for nothing." She relaxed, standing up from the wall and turning to leave.

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "Worried?" She ventured, catching Misato in mid-exit.

Misato turned back and shrugged. "I thought he was lying about the concussion, he stammered and wouldn't say anything about how he got it." She called back, still standing in the doorway.

Ritsuko chuckled. "He's probably just embarrassed. The whole world's depending on him, and you've seen his desire to please. It's only natural he'd want to cover up being injured like that." She shook her head and turned to her computer.

Misato nodded. "I guess. Anyway, thanks Ritz!" She called, bounding down the hall outside the office.

Ritsuko waved her off. "Yes yes. Now get going."

* * *

Shinji laid down in his bed, trying to clear his mind of what had happened today. It was late afternoon by the time Shinji and Misato returned home. He'd had the vague sense throughout his 'examination' that Ritsuko was only doing it to satisfy Misato. He'd not voiced this concern, because he was a-_pussy_-fraid that he'd offend either Dr. Akagi or Misato. So he'd been told to get some rest and stay home for a couple days.

Misato had glanced at him repeatedly during the trip home, needling him with the same three questions: the old standby 'are you okay?', the effort requiring 'Are you sure?', and quite possibly the most terrifying thing he'd ever heard 'You get some rest while I prepare dinner.' He'd have to be missing an arm and a leg for him to let that happen.

Unfortunately, she was dead set on him 'relaxing', so despite his best efforts over both the rest of the car ride and the trip up the elevator, Misato had cooked dinner, and…made him eat it.

Shinji shivered at the memory._ I didn't think Tofu could ever turn that kind of green._ Shinji sighed, popping in the earbuds for his SDAT player. Now at least, he could listen to some soothing classical music before he fell asleep. He shut his eyes, content to listen to his wonderful music.

…

…

…

"…_.Do you listen to anything made after, oh I dunno, nineteen-oh-suck?"_

Shinji's eyes snapped open as he yanked the earbuds out. "Who's there?" He called, looking back and forth around his tiny, spartan room. Thought it was fairly dark, there wasn't anywhere for someone to hide. "Did I imagine that?" He breathed, trying to recall where he'd heard that voice before…_the Dream!_ _Yeah! That's where I heard it before! So, I guess I must've dreamed that up too!_ He smiled. Yes, that explanation made complete sense. He shook his head, and laid back down.

_It was just my imagination-_

The voice coughed._ "Hardly. Your imagination is way too lame to come up with someone half as awesome as I am." _The disdain reverberated throughout Shinji's head.

To Shinji's credit, he didn't scream or bolt out of his bed. However, he did start quaking at the rough voice that was coming from inside his head. "Wh-Who are you?"

It laughed. _"Did you forget? I'm the totally indestructible Gig! I jumped into you when you picked up the sword, moron. I'm kinda grateful an idiot like you got hold of that thing. Cause now I can beat this meat puppet to hell and back! Gahahahaha! Now hand over the reins, useless!"_

The pause that followed felt like an eternity. Shinji lay stock still for a moment. Then he blinked.

Twice.

"I…don't feel any different…?" He offered weakly, now more confused than scared.

Shinji could _feel_ Gig's snarl. _"Shut up, it'll be any second now…oh come the hell on! A barrier? The hell is this! You're just some two bit chump! How do you have a barrier? And why, of all things, did you pick orange octagons? Did you draw this up when you failed math class?"_

"Ummm…" Shinji would freely admit he had no idea what the weird angry voice in his head was going on about. "I…don't know? But…"

"_Hold it chump, the __**man **__is thinking right now…" _Gig muttered, not even paying him the slightest heed._ "Hah. Guess there's no getting around this one."_

Shinji sat up straight. "Huh?" Shinji had the feeling he wasn't going to like the answer.

Gig sighed, his frustration evident. _"Much as I hate to say it, looks like I've gotta share this body with you. At least until I figure out how to get past these stupid hexagon things. Then all bets are off." Shinji could almost see Gig's malicious smile._

Shinji shook his head. _This is so weird. _"…So we're stuck like this?"

"_Pretty much. " _Shinji had the distinct feeling that Gig, had he control of the body, would be shrugging right now.

"oh…"Shinji relaxed a bit. _Well, maybe this won't be so bad. It's not like he can do anything to hurt anybody like this…_

"_By the way kid, cook more meat." _Gig flatly ordered.

Shinji blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"_Cause I don't wanna taste that green crap that purple-haired babe made again. Ever. Plus, I've seen twigs that are better fed than you." _He stated matter-of-factly.

Shinji's eyes went wide. "…You could taste that?"

Gig snorted. _"Duh. I feel and see everything you do, stupid. And I gotta give you some credit. At least you've got half-decent taste in floozies…Speaking of which…I'm guessing she was a seven?" _Gig asked, his voice strangely...friendly.

Shinji, while dense and socially stunted, knew a little bit about dating. As such, instead of answering the question, or asking what Gig meant, he uttered a strangled little squeak, turned a bright, shiny red, and buried his head in a pillow.

Gig laughed openly. _ "Wow. I possessed a complete bitch. What did I ever do to get stuck with someone this lame? ...Oh right, all the killing. Well, if you won't answer that, what about that doctor chick? She didn't look half bad either!"_

This pattern of questioning continued long into the night, as Shinji was powerless to shut the mocking voice in his head up._ At least I know I'm not gay now! No, I'm even more messed up!_

"_Ha, you can't even swear. You really are a complete bitch."_

Shinji just groaned and tried to burrow deeper into his pillow.

* * *

_"So that was the prologue? Not bad!"_


	2. Robogirl and Awesome: First Contact

**_Chapter 2: Unfortunate Encounters_**

Sunlight streamed into the tiny room, illuminating a green lump in the middle of a bed. It wiggled a bit before trying to curl up into a tight ball. _"Merfrf….S-splatterhouse …2…"_

"YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Shinji paid his guardian's happy yell no mind. Unfortunately for him, his 'passenger' was not yet aware of the Katsuragi household's 'standard operating procedure'.

"_GAH! What the friggin hell was that?" _Gig practically shrieked, throwing Shinji to the floor in a tangle of green sheets and panic.

"…That was Misato's morning beer." Shinji said, slowly peeling himself off the wooden floor.

"…_morning booze?"_ Gig sounded intrigued. _ "That babe gets drunk every morning? "_

Shinji pulled himself into a sitting position next to his bed. "…She says it's the only way to wake up."

"Huh." Gig was silent for a moment, attempting to process this information in his slightly groggy state. "Well, whatever." "Say, wanna hand over your body?" He asked, perking up almost immediately.

The door opened, revealing Misato, clad in white shorts and a blue tank top. "Shinji, are you-" Misato began.

_That's __**it!**_"No! I don't want to!" Shinji shouted angrily, sick to death of Gig's complete inability to _shut up._

"_Oh come on! I-"_

Misato blinked. "…Shinji, I was going to ask if you wanted to go to school today, but I guess not…" She began to pull the door shut behind her.

_Wait what? _Shinji's turnaround was amazing. "No-no, I'm okay! I'll go to school!" He immediately tried, with more than a little fear in his voice.

Misato stopped., turned around, and very slowly walked back in. "….okay. Are you really sure?" She cocked an eyebrow. _That was…quick._

"Y-yes!" He nodded so hard he almost hit the floor again. "Completely sure!"

_What's he hiding…? _"So then what was with the yelling?" Misato asked, sounding vaguely concerned.

"Um…I …had a bad dream…" He tried, hoping against hope she'd accept the blatant lie.

_And it somehow led to you lying on the floor in a tangle of sheets shouting 'no'? _Misato blinked. "…Oookay, if you say so. " She shook her head and turned to leave.

"Umm, Misato?"

She stopped in mid-step and turned back around. "Yeeesss?" She smirked mischievously.

Shinji looked down. "T-thank you for checking on me…"

Misato turned away. Her devilish smirk morphed into a small smile, a faint chuckle escaping her. "No problem. Now you get ready, and I'll have breakfast waiting."

"_Wait, what! Stop her you fool!"_ Gig yelled, the memories of last night's 'dinner' still fresh in his mind.

For once, Shinji agreed with the weird ghost…voice…person. "…Um, Misato? Could I make it?" He asked, hoping Misato's natural laziness would win out over her concern for her young charge.

Misato frowned. "…Why? I'm perfectly capable of doing it, and besides, a little more rest would do you some good." She argued, feeling affronted by Shinji's forceful domestic policy.

"_NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!"_

"…I like cooking." He looked at her hopefully, putting every ounce of pitiable sadness he had behind it .

Misato's mouth dropped open a bit at his expression. _Damn kid's mastered the kicked puppy impression. _She summoned her best 'aggrieved guardian' sigh, and hung her head in defeat."….Well, okay. But don't take too long." She admonished, closing the door as she left.

"Th-that was close." Shinji exhaled, picking himself up off the floor with a relieved smile on his face.

"_Okay, I'll admit, __**that**__ was pretty smooth. Maybe you deserve a __**little**__ more credit."_

Shinji's smile didn't slip. Even though it was a backhanded compliment, it still felt a little good. He was still smiling as he strode over to his closet and opened it.

Gig gaped. _"Wow. Was there a sale at Bland-Mart or something? Or do you just naturally attract lameness?"_ Gig sounded almost incredulous at the sight of the rows of white shirts and black pants in the closet.

Shinji just sighed and started getting dressed.

* * *

Misato crossed her arms on the beige wood table. "Are you absolutely _sure_ you don't want to stay?"

Shinji slumped a bit on the counter, his hands pausing over the box lunch. "Misato, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be okay at school." He said, tired of her incessant questioning.

Misato stood up from the table." Alright Shinji, if you _really_ think so." She shook her head, before getting up and leaving without another word.

"_**Finally.**__ Say kid."_ Gig sounded curious, though Shinji had learned that his tone was no guarantee of his intentions.

Shinji felt a thick, bubbling pit of crude apprehension open up inside of him. "…What is it?" Shinji replied, failing to mask his apprehension. _I swear, if this is about girls I'm going to-_

"_What's that thing over there? Y'know, the…bird… thing…in the freezer." _ Gig sounded like he was trying to remember something and failing.

The only thing Shinji could see in said steely-grey freezer was Misato's pet penguin. "You mean Pen-Pen?" He asked.

"…_The hell is a Pen-Pen?"_ Gig sounded slightly surprised at that answer.

Shinji's brow furrowed a bit. "…He's a penguin. Misato says he's a rare warm-water variety." _How does he not know what a penguin is?_

"Squark." The penguin glared at them, waddling back into its freezer with an air of annoyance.

Shinji could've sworn he'd heard 'dood' attached to the end of that squawk. But that would be completely, utterly, ridiculous. Maybe it was the TV.

"_Really?_" Gig actually sounded incredulous. _ "Coulda sworn it was called something else…oh well, whatever." _He fell silent for a few moments._ "…Wait, why the hell would you want go to school? They can't be teaching anything worthwhile if you're anything to go by."_ He sounded honestly curious.

Shinji's answer was quick and short. "Because Misato will stay to cook for me if I don't."

"…_GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT." _Gig didn't shut up until they were out the door of the apartment.

* * *

"_This is it?"_ Gig sighed dramatically. "_Serves me right for getting my hopes up."_

Class 2-A was empty. With Gig's_ heavy _insistence that he leave the apartment as soon as possible, he'd ended up being early for class. The only other person in the room was a pigtailed girl in a plain blue and white school uniform. She was sitting in the middle of a row of desks and sighing dramatically.

"…_Who's the broad? Another babe you somehow scored?" _Gig mockingly asked.

Shinji somehow found the presence of mind to ignore Gig. "Um…Horaki?" He ventured, curious about her truly _dramatic_ sighs.

The (average in every way) brown-haired girl sat bolt upright and looked around. "Huh wha I wasn't thinking about anyone!" she declared, voice wavering slightly. She calmed down once she caught sight of Shinji. "Oh, it's you Ikari. When did you get here?" She sighed, slowly getting to her feet.

Shinji blinked stupidly. "uh…Just now. I… got up early." He offered lamely.

Hikari's depressed (and freckled) face brightened. "Oh, really? I didn't think you were the studious type. Normally I'm the only one here." She sighed, casting a depressed glance around the room. "It's like no one really cares about their future except for me…It's kind of…what? Is there something on my face?"

"_Hmmm….She's not half bad…definitely needs to lose those pigtails…maybe a five? Possibly a six if she was naked." _Gig sounded deep in thought. _Might be possible to do something about those freckles._

_Please be quiet. _Shinji silently begged, already feeling his face heating from the imagery of his passenger's 'colour commentary'.

Gig snorted. _"What? She is sorta hot. It'd take a little work, but still!"_

_T-that's not it! Y-yeah she's pretty, but I shouldn't-_

Hikari narrowed her gaze. "Er…Shinji, are you okay? You just turned red all of a sudden."

Caught off guard, Shinji panicked, responding with the first thing that he could think of. "…I-I wasn't thinking about how pretty you are! Er…oh no…" Shinji slapped a hand over his mouth.

Hikari's eyes went wide. "wh-what -?" She gasped, turning beet-red almost immediately. _He thinks I'm pretty? M-me? Oh, what do I do? I like Toji, but he's not bad either…No! Bad Hikari! Only hussies play the field! Remember what the romance column said! I must keep my love pure and unsullied! But it's not like he'd even notice if I did…No! I can't think like that! Stupid-Stupid Hikari! …But he thinks I'm pretty…*gotostart*_

Gig was laughing heartily. _"Smooth, kid. I can see how you snared that first babe with those kinda lines." _He bit out between guffaws.

Shinji wanted to just crawl in a hole and hide forever. "…Um…I…uh…" He stammered out, hoping that maybe he could get up to single words. It wasn't like Hikari wasn't pretty, it's just…he wasn't supposed to…Girls didn't like being put on the spot…Or…He…

"_Wow. Stammering in your own head. Could you possibly be more pathetic?" _Gig snarked, thoroughly enjoying the free show.

Just then, the bell rang, making both teens jump.

"…We should take our seats…" Shinji offered, utterly mortified.

"…Y-yeah…." Hikari's face mirrored his mortified expression. Both of them took their seats, still blushing furiously as the rest of the class came in.

As the teacher came in to begin the lecture, nearly everyone in the class either stopped paying attention, fell asleep, or stared out the window. However, one man had better plans.

"_Okay, let's see now…lame…lame…total nerd…lame…lamer…Didn't I count this kid already?…still lame...two-cent chump…That class rep chick…woah, who beat the hell out of that blue-haired chick?"_

* * *

Shinji sighed as the lunch bell finally rang. The classroom emptied incredibly quickly, leaving him alone within minutes. He looked down at the tiny box lunch he'd packed and winced. _3….2….1…_

"_What did I say about the cooking, kid?"_ Gig's tone was rhetorical and imperious at the same time.

It was a strange feeling to have someone glaring at you without actually having eyes. But it was quickly becoming routine for Shinji. "I'm really not in the mood for this right now."

"_What did I say?"_ Gig drawled, attempting to intimidate the kid into submitting to his carnivorous desires.

"There's fish substitute."

"_Really? Not just drowned meat, but __**fake**__ drowned meat? Oh, is the rice fake too? God, just how poor are you again?"_

Shinji put a hand to his forehead, sighing in frustration. _It's like he's a two-year-old or something._ "Would you just-"

"Ikari?"

The soft voice immediately snapped him out of his argument with Gig. There was only one person he knew who could sound both curious and completely disinterested at the same time. He looked up a bit, into an incredibly pale face, with one red eye framed by light blue hair. She could've been called beautiful, were it not for her cast arm and the patch over her eye. "…Ayanami? What is it?" _Why is she here?_ _Normally she never approaches anyone on her own._

"Who are you?" The question was short, clipped, and completely incomprehensible to everyone not named Rei Ayanami.

"Uhhh…" Shinji blinked stupidly. _How am I supposed to answer that?_ "A-Ayanami, I don't think…" He began, closing his eyes to try to think of an answer for her weird question.

"Not you." She cut him off. "The one who exists inside you." Shinji's eyes snapped open.

"_Wait, she can see me?"_ Gig fell silent for a moment. _That isn't supposed to happen...I think. Really should've attended those classes Haephnes set up…Wait, Haephnes? Who the hell is Haephnes? And why is…wait, no. Don't focus on weird thoughts that make no sense, focus on the weird albino chick that makes no sense. Actually, if she can see me… _ _"…Wonder if that means she can hear me too?"_

"Yes."

"!"

Rei pressed further, completely ignorant of Shinji leaning farther and farther back in his chair. "What is your purpose? Why did you come here? Why have you taken residence inside the Third Child?"

"_Thirdinawhat? Oh, you mean the kid. Well, that's just cause he was there at the time."_

"…Listen, A-Ayanami?" He could barely maintain eye-contact with the strange girl. "Could you, um, please not tell anyone?" Shinji could imagine what would happen if NERV found out he had someone riding around in his head, and none of it would be pleasant.

The stare Rei gave him was completely uncomprehending. "Why?" She asked, her tone flat and clinical. "He may be a danger to NERV, and he could be a threat to you as well. For what reason should I not inform NERV?"

If he could smile, Gig's grin would look like a shark that just smelled blood_. "I'll field this one, kid." _His tone shifted to one filled with false cheer._ "Well, you see, it's because I'm __**completel**__y harmless."_

Rei's eye widened just a hair. "Harmless?" She asked, her flat tone (for once) unmistakably tinged with curiosity.

"_Yeah! I'm really just here because I was curious about the kid's school life. Tell you what, if I feel like I'm gonna start being a danger, I'll tell you so you can get me the help I'll need. Okay?"_ Gig's sarcasm grew more and more blatant, daring Rei to challenge at least part of what he was saying.

Rei blinked, completely missing Gig's sarcasm. "…You mean that?" She cocked her head to the side, looking for all the world like an adorably confused (and beaten) child.

"_Yup! One hundred-percent truth!" _Gig was barely able to keep himself from collapsing into gales of laughter from the weight of his sarcasm.

"…I see. Very well then. I will hold you to that. " She turned, walking to the classroom door and exiting without another word.

The silence that followed was almost deafening. _"…Did…did she…Did she actually just buy that?"_ Gig finally ground out, barely able to articulate his honest shock.

Shinji was staring at the door, unable to get over the fact that Gig had actually snowed Rei. "I think she did…" He blinked, still surprised at what had just happened.

"…_That's…I…I can't even laugh at someone that stupid…"_ Gig fell silent, unable to think of anything after what he'd just seen. With his mind unable to come up with a jab or cutting remark, it was free to dredge up other things. The thoughts that followed left him silent for the rest of the school day. For, indeed…

…_Just who the hell is Haephnes?_

* * *

Shinji's walk home was driving him to distraction. Gig had been silent for the whole afternoon after they'd met Rei, and it was really starting to get to Shinji._ He was so talkative before, but now it's like he's stuck in his head…er, my head._ It was weird. Even though he'd only met him yesterday, Shinji was already becoming used to his 'companion's' nonstop babbling. And the reason, Shinji abruptly realized, was that for all Gig's faults, his babbling was a pleasant distraction from the mess life had become. Over the course of the day, he hadn't given a single thought to NERV, or EVA, or anything that wasn't something…normal.

He stopped at a street corner that was completely identical to the last three. "Um…Gig? Are you-"

"_Who gave you that black eye, kid?"_ Gig's tone was clipped and hard._ "And don't try to snow me."_

"Wh-what do you mean?" Shinji lied, hoping Gig would drop the subject.

Gig snorted, seeing the lie for what it was. _"The ring around your left eye, stupid. It's still fresh, and it didn't happen while I was around. So spill. I need to know what dents this thing has before I take it for a spin."_ He finished,

Shinji looked away, before realizing (with an embarrassed blush), that the other participant in this conversation was _in his head_. "…It's nothing. Besides, I deserved it."

"_Deserved it? Really? What, you stole somebody's sandwich? Or did you trip over some preschool kid?"_ Gig laughed a bit, before trailing off to hear Shinji's response.

Shinji looked down, remaining silent until Gig spoke up again.

"…_Lemme guess. It was the preschool kid?"_ Gig sounded like he was torn between being disappointed and expecting that answer.

Shinji grimaced.

"_And that's all the confirmation I need." _Gig sighed, frustrated that the kid was trying to lie to him. _"Listen kid, I don't care if it was your fault. Don't let yourself get banged up, no matter what. Last thing I need is to take over and find out you broke all four limbs trying to save a cat."_

Shinji opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't think of anything. Much as he wanted to take all the blame, Shinji could see the logic in Gig's argument. Getting attacked by Toji had _hurt_. He'd rationalized his anger away by thinking it was his fault for not being good enough to save Toji's sister, but was that right? From what he'd heard, the girl hadn't listened to the emergency siren, so…was it really his fault? _If…If…I'd been better…she…But if she wasn't in a shelter, wouldn't it be her fault? ...Oh, why did he have to bring it up now…._

Shinji's silent argument stopped when he felt a buzzing in his pocket.

"…_You gonna get that kid?"_

"Yeah…" He took the NERV-supplied phone out of his pocket and looked at it.

"_Well?"_ Gig drawled, curious to know what the numbers on the phone's tiny screen meant.

"It's an Angel attack." Shinji shook his head, trying to remember what he'd been told to do.

"…_A __**what?**__"_

"I'll tell you later." Shinji shoved the phone in his pocket and headed for the nearest access point, concentrating the whole way on ignoring Gig's repeated questions.

* * *

"_Okay, seriously kid, what the hell is an 'Angel' and why are you being attacked by it?"_

Shinji'd made it all the way into the plug before Gig's incessant questioning finally became too much.

"I don't know. That's just what they call it." Shinji sighed, debating once again whether or not Gig's continued presence was a blessing or a curse.

"_I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm preeeetty sure angels are just winged babies."_

Shinji blinked. "How would you know?" He asked, genuinely curious if Gig actually knew something useful.

"_I barbecued a whole lot of them two hundred years ago. Along with men who fought like cows and cows that hit like a truck. Ah, those were the days…."_ Gig said distantly, almost sounding like he could still see those ancient battlefields.

"Um…Sure." Shinji said, abruptly deciding that 'never' would be a good time to ask Gig to elaborate on that story.

"_Beginning LCL injection..." _The announcement echoed in Shinji's ears as a thick, orange coloured liquid began flooding into the dark plug.

"_What's this coppery tasting stu…Oh…No…No way…"_ Gig's voice turned from disdainful to almost cheery, before abruptly trailing off.

Shinji felt a slight shiver go down his spine, though whether that was from breathing the orange goop into his lungs to prevent asphyxiation or Gig's strange behaviour was anyone's guess. _Is he…giddy? _"…What is it?" He said quietly, hoping that everyone in the control room would be too busy paying attention to the launch preparations.

"…_Holy hell kid! You bathe in blood as a job requirement? This place is awesome!" _ Gig was exuberant, laughing louder and louder as the truth of the situation sunk in. "_This is the best robot ever! When I take over your body, I'm totally driving this thing around."_

Shinji looked down, memories of the pain from the previous Angel's attacks flitting through his mind. "Yeah, it really is…" He muttered darkly.

"_**Um, Shinji? Are you alright?"**_

_That's…Maya, I think. _"Huh? Oh, sorry. I'm just…thinking about today." He lied quickly, hoping she'd dismiss it as just him being nervous.

"_**Synchro start!...52%!"**_

_Was that Makoto? Or maybe it was that other long-haired guy. I should really learn their names._

"Right." Misato cut in, her voice and face both deadly serious. "Anyway, focus. You're about to be launched."

Even over the roar of the launch catapult, Shinji heard one last thing before he went into battle.

"_This is gonna be __**Awesome!**__"_

* * *

"_Okay…They kept my idea, so…what about the others?"_


	3. My plans are great, you just suck

_**Chapter 3:** **Shamshel **_

"_Okay, kid, I've gotta be honest. That…was possibly the most depressing battle I've ever seen."_

Shinji groaned, memories of the utter horrorshow that was the previous battle springing to mind. "…It was your fault." He whined weakly, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in both sides of his head.

"_Haha! Riiiight. So I'm the one who got slapped around like a racquetball?" _Gig mocked, chuckling faintly at Shinji's attempt to spread the blame.

Shinji was stuck in a white hospital bed, recuperating from the myriad injuries the last Angel had dealt him. At last reckoning, his arms and face had been badly burned by the Angel's energy whips, he'd gained both a concussion and several cuts and lacerations from those same whips, and he'd lost feeling in his right hand. Plus, as the bloody cherry on the pain sundae, his foot was broken because the medics had dropped him while pulling him out of the plug.

As a result, half of his entire body was wrapped in white bandages, while his foot was hanging in a white cast. His whole body was covered by both a white sheet and a white hospital gown, with a bright white light shining down on him, in a room with four white walls and a white floor.

Oh, and there was a mirror on the wall reflecting light into his eyes.

_Maybe this is a way of speeding up the recovery process. Make them hate the room so they have incentive to leave._ "You were trying to get me killed from start to finish." Shinji groaned, wiggling slightly in a vain attempt to get the sheet over his eyes.

"Hey, I told you to dodge. Not my fault you couldn't pull it off." It felt like Gig was shrugging.

"The other twelve times you yelled it?" Shinji asked slowly, wincing slightly at the pain in his cheek.

"_I thought it could use some repetition." _Gig laughed smugly. _ "That, and it was funny watching you smack into buildings like a complete tool." _

Shinji just sighed, recalling every impact with nearly perfect clarity. _At least he's kind of honest. _"…and saying that Hikari liked me?"

It felt like Gig was shrugging again. _"I said she was checking you out. You're the one who got all panicky."_

Shinji shut his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "…And you said it again when I was trying to use the rocket launcher?"

"_What? Don't thoughts of potential girlfriends make you fight harder? I thought that was, like, standard issue for somebody in your shoes, kid."_ Gig sounded honestly surprised, like he'd just seen an apple fall _up_.

Shinji's mouth dropped open, ignoring the pain this caused. "…That's only on TV! That's not real life!" Shinji protested. _How can he think that's normal? Was he raised on anime or something?_

"_Really? All the dudes who tried to fight me used it…"_Gig trailed off for a moment. _ "…Thinking about it, you might have a point there."_ He admitted, chuckling a bit.

Shinji just sighed. _Hooray. I got him to admit he was wrong for once._

"_But that doesn't excuse the last half of the fight. You have to admit, that was just shameful. "_

"I've only been doing this for two weeks!" He said, feeling annoyance well up within him.

"_Still shameful. I mean, after the thing punted you half a mile, you landed next to a whole stack of guns. You missed pretty much every shot."_

"I couldn't feel my hands and my eyes were burning." Shinji growled, wishing he could just fall asleep instead of having to remember getting so badly beat up by the Angel.

"_It was the size of a friggen castle. And you hit it, what? Ten times?" _Gig needled, clearly unwilling to let it go.

"…Eleven." Shinji sighed.

Now it felt like Gig was grinning._ "Right! Then you got the bright idea to charge it with a pocketknife. That worked out well, didn't it?"_

Shinji shut his eyes. "…I didn't have a choice. It was that or let it kill everyone."

"_Y'know, I could've-"_

Shinji rolled his eyes. _Again? _"Not. Interested."

"_Damn. Well, back to the results."_

Shinji pushed farther back into his pillow. "Hooray."

"_So, you ran screaming at the thing with a pocketknife, and you were surprised when it barely nicked the thing?"_

"I thought the knives could cut through it. At least, that's what they told me." _I bet they were laughing inside when they told me that._

"_Pfft. Still, I do have to give you points for trying to tear out its eye with your hands. That was cool. Getting bitchslapped into the mountain, on the other hand, was slightly less cool. The stuff after, was just __**shameful.**__"_

"…Oh, _thanks._" Shinji said sarcastically. _ What I wouldn't give for a mute button right now._

"_I mean, really. You ran into the giant laser tentacle at least three times. At what point did any of that seem like a good idea?"_

Now Shinji was starting to get angry. "You told me not to block it, you…!" He coughed, trailing off into a dry rasp. He would've continued, but his throat was having none of that.

"_No, I was using Reverse Psychology. Don't try to blame your failures on __**my**__ tactical genius."_

"RRRGH!" Shinji groaned and turned over in his hospital bed, fresh tears cascading down his nose from the pain of moving. Once the pain quieted down to a dull throb, he opened his eyes, coming face to face with his (also white) bedside table…and the (thankfully) black radio sitting on it. _Oh. Misato must've sent this. Maybe I should turn it on…but is there anything I really worth listening to-_

Gig coughed._ "Kid, I'm not finished. You-"_

_On the __**other**__ hand, Misato said to try new things._

He reached out, and with a slight wince and a shaky hand, turned the radio on.

"_**And now, it's time for the Melvin show! Our guests today, Cody and Zorc!"**_

Shinji sighed. "A Talkshow? No."

*click*

"_**This one cannot accept such an extravagant gift, Lady Mifune."**_

Shinji squinted. "Too old."

*click*

"_**Take this! My Love! My Anger! And all of my-"**_

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Too melodramatic."

*click*

"_**Lemme see you Grit! Those! Tee-"**_

"_Too stupid."_ Gig growled.

*click*

"_**KILL YOUR FAMILY! KILL YOUR FAMILY! KILL-"**_

Shinji hurried switched the dial. "No."

*Click*

"_**Tune in next week for a chance to see Ira Glass and Ola Toya wrestling in Tokyo-2!"**_

Shinji sighed, shutting off the radio and rolling back into the middle of the hospital bed.

"_Hey wait go back! That last one sounded interesting!"_ Gig cried. _"And relevant to your life!"_

Shinji shut his eyes. "No." He stated simply, leaning back into the pillow and waiting for sleep to claim him.

For once, he didn't have to wait.

* * *

"Let it go already!"

Kensuke stormed down the crowded afternoon street, dramatically avoiding the gaze of the track-suited boy following him. "Dude, I cannot believe you." He spat, stopping at the street light out of necessity.

Touji just sighed. "Ken, would you _shut_ up about it?" _God, get over it already!_

Kensuke abruptly whirled on his erstwhile best friend. "Dude! IT was a perfect chance to see that robot in action! And you waste it because you were worried about the Class Rep?" He shouted, pointing a shaky finger directly in Toji's face.

Toji slapped Ken's hand down, repeating Kensuke's action with much more force. "A perfect chance? What if the thing fell on you? Or one of the missiles hit you? Or if that big monster decided you were a tasty snack? What should I say? 'Well, I could've stopped him, but I decided to let him go die.'" His face abruptly took on a look of cold anger. "What kind of a friend do you take me for?"

Kensuke cringed. Toji could've punched him and it would've hurt less. _…But…I….He's right, but…_"Aw come on, man. We would've been fine!" Kensuke protested weakly. "Y-you could've come with me, instead of sitting there with the class rep!"

"She was worried, man." Touji said, recalling the faraway look in the girl's eyes. She hadn't even noticed Ken's question to use the bathroom. Hell, it was only after Toji managed to grab his collar in the doorway that she even realized he'd been trying to leave! "You know as well as I do that the Class Rep never acts like that unless she's really worried!"

Ken started walking once the light turned green. "Yeah right!" He snorted. "I bet you just wanted to score with her!"

Touji actually had the decency to look shocked once he'd caught back up. "The Class Rep? Are you crazy? Her? She'd just order me around and make me do all the assignments. That would suck!"

"Oh, I'm sure it would. I bet you'd have a lot of problems having Ms. Suzuhara falling all over you!"

Touji just sighed. _Okay, let's try something else. _"Look, can we just go to the arcade and forget all this?"

Ken stopped for a moment. "Fine…but you're paying." He said, making sure to leave a dramatic pause in the middle.

Touji slapped him on the back. "Deal. Now come on. I wanna get in a good game before I go visit my sister."

* * *

_An absolutely __**deafening**__ explosion split the sky, throwing Shinji from the cloth bed. He opened his eyes and scrambled to his feet, panicking as he took in his surroundings. _

_He was standing in a ruined castle bedroom, with a door in front of him and a stone staircase behind him. The stonework under his feet was cracked and broken in dozens of places, and the banners on the wall were tattered and faded. The bed he's just been thrown from was covered in expensive looking silks and cottons, but they were all dirty and beaten. A heavy smell of dirt and blood hung in the dusty air, casting a smoky pall over the sunlight that shined through the ruined doorway. A ruined doorframe led outside to a balcony, the sky through the doorway colored a pallid sundown orange,_

"_Wh-where am I?" This was strange…he'd never had a dream like this before. Maybe…_

_A rough voice cut through the air, malice and pride more than evident in it. "Hehehe…HA-HAHAHAHAHA! Shattered to its very foundation! Come on, is no one around here man enough to stand up to me?!" The voice challenged, echoing in Shinji's ears._

_Shinji froze. He __**knew**__ that voice. "Wait, is that-"_

"_Then put your heads between your legs while I cut you down, one by one!"_

_That's Gig! Maybe he knows what's going on! Shinji opened his mouth to speak, only for a masked man in a steely-silver cloak to rush through him. He watched, dumbfounded, as the strange man dashed out the door, turning the corner as he broke into a dead run. "…He…He ran right through me? Wh-what is this place?"_

"_Ah-ha, finally someone steps up. A numbnut like you better not waste my time!" Gig laughed happily._

"_Dio, The Sorcerer of the Evil Eye, shall send you back to the hell that spawned you, Master of Death!" The voice was imperious and confident, lacking any fear of its opponent. _

_There was a roar of thunder, and then everything lit up with a brilliantly blinding white light…_

* * *

"_Mrff…I…I don't…wanna..be…Guy…guh…"_

"Should we wake him up?"

Shinji wiggled in the bed, pawing blindly at the air above him.

"I think he's coming around!" Someone shouted, sounding much like an overeager girl.

Shinji blinked, shaking his head as he woke up. "H-huh?" He mumbled groggily, the fuzzy shapes in his vision slowly coming into focus. One was a bemused blonde woman in a white labcoat, blue blouse, and brown skirt, and the other was a vaguely uncomfortable brown-haired lady in a beige dress uniform, and white pants.

"Shinji? Are you awake?"

_I think that white blob is talking to me. Wait, no, she's…_"D-Dr…Akagi? Is that you? …And…That lady…is…uh…." _Oh man I know her name…but…what was it again…Mayan? Main? Meya?_

The brown haired lady sighed quietly, a tiny frown of frustration momentarily crossing her young face. "Ibuki. My name is Maya Ibuki." She supplied helpfully, wrenching her face back into a smile after she finished. She smoothed out her uniform, standing stiffly at attention.

Shinji nodded, still only barely aware of what was going on around him. "…Oh, okay…why are you here?" He asked, once he'd gathered the necessary brainpower. _Wonder what Gig would say if…Gig?_

"…_Mehfg…Huh? ...…Is something going on…?" _Gig sounded exhausted. His voice was weak and muted, a stark contrast to the rough energy he usually displayed.

_Gig, are you okay…? _Shinji would've been more alarmed, but he just couldn't summon the energy.

"_Oh yeah, I'm totally…fine…M-just…tired." _Gig yawned, his voice just a little bit louder.

"Shinji?" Ritsuko called, smirking as the boy abruptly looked up. _He seems rather distracted. I __**wonder**__ why __**that**__ could be…_

Shinji blinked, realizing that he'd been silent for almost a minute. "…Oh… Um, sorry, I'm…still a little…tired. P-please continue." He offered meekly.

_Well played. _"Alright. Now as I was saying, I'm here to debrief you." The way Ritsuko said it made it sound like it was the simplest thing in the world. "We'd have done it yesterday, but you were a little too banged up. Do you want to put it off for a few hours?" She asked, her tone failing to imply that his comfort really mattered.

As much as Shinji didn't want to do this, the thought of being left alone in this white prison was worse. "Oh. Okay...Um…no, not really. W-we can do it now, if that's okay." Shinji fidgeted, worried that his 'debriefing' was not going to be pleasant. The slightly scary smile the doctor had on wasn't helping.

Ritsuko nodded. "Alright then." She turned to Maya and held up a hand. "Lieutenant?"

Maya froze, caught in the act of playing with her uniform's zipper. "Y-Yes, Dr. Akagi?" She enthusiastically asked, her brown eyes sparkling like a puppy awaiting orders.

Ritsuko's face shifted from a reassuring smile to a cold line like a well-oiled machine. She cleared her throat, olive-green eyes gazing levelly at her meek assistant. "What comes next is confidential. While you _are_ my assistant, this debriefing is strictly between doctor and patient. Could you excuse yourself?"

Maya nodded. "O-oh! Yes. I'll…I'll go get him some breakfast." She nodded, looking expectantly at Dr. Akagi.

Ritsuko nodded, a tiny smile gracing her ruby lips. _Ah, so young. So naïve. _"Thank you, Maya. I suspect this won't take that long."

The door opened and shut, leaving Shinji alone with the doctor. _What should I tell Dr. Akagi?_

"_Mrfh? …Oh! It's that doctor chick!...She's not as hot as that purple-haired babe, but blondes aren't so bad…" _Gig helpfully supplied, still sounding somewhat out of it.

Shinji shut his eyes, already feeling a blush coming on.

Ritsuko cocked her head to the side. "Mm? Shinji? Is there something wrong?"

_Please be quiet, Gig. _"Umm…Well, you're…uh…kinda pretty."

"Why thank you." Ritsuko chuckled quietly. _He's quite the flatterer, but I've got questions to ask. _ Her face quickly regained its impassive half-smirk as she pulled up a chair and sat down. "Unfortunately, while exchanging pleasantries would be nice, I've more important things to discuss with you."

"Y-you do?" _Uh-oh…_

"Yes. Now, how are you feeling?" Ritsuko asked, using the best bedside manner she could.

Shinji blinked stupidly. "H-huh?" _Wait, isn't she going to grill me on talking to myself during the battle?_

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "I mean, how are you feeling? I know you were rather banged up yesterday, but do you feel anything 'different', for lack of a better word? Like if your body feels strange, or like something is there that wasn't before?"

"…N-not really."

Ritsuko brought up her clipboard, scribbling down nonsense to give to the doctors on duty later. "Ah. Thank you Shinji." _Let's see…maybe a prescription for Perpedrin to take care of the injuries, possibly some anti-depressants…Hmm, would Perpedrin or Drixol be more believable?_

Shinji moved a hand up to brush his forehead, only to freeze halfway there._ N-nothing hurts? Wh-what's going on? _He shifted, wincing as a spike of pain lanced through his arm. _Okay, I guess I'm not totally fine, but compared to yesterday….I feel way better. Is this some kind of special NERV science or something?_

"_Hell no. That was me, idiot." _Gig scoffed.

…_But….why?_

"_Remember the part about my ride getting banged up? It's not so great having to ride around in a busted up body like this."_

_But if that's true, why did you leave it unfinished?_

Gig snarled._ "You haven't given me the slightest way in, dumbass. Thanks to that A-grade decision making of yours, my power drains a hell of a lot faster than if you'd said yes." _Gig switched to an obnoxiously cheery tone. _" But I'm so very sorry I couldn't fix all your lil' boo-boos, but Unkie Giggy'll be sure to try harder next time."_

Shinji groaned quietly._ I guess he's got a point. _"…Thanks."

Ritsuko looked up from her clipboard. "Hm? For what?"

"Oh…j-just, for coming to see me." Shinji hung his head, staring at his knees. "I thought I'd just be left here." He mumbled, a familiar black cloud beginning to gather over him.

Ritsuko laughed, amused at the sincerity of his utterly depressing image. _It's a good thing I sent Maya out. He'd have captured her heart with this pathetic little show. _"Funny you should mention that. Misato almost broke down the door yesterday asking after you." Ritsuko shook her head. "If she hadn't such a terrible sense of direction, she probably would've found you."

"…R-really?" Shinji asked, his voice edged with a tiny bit of disbelieving hope.

_Well what do you know… He actually bought it. _"Yes. It was rather novel to see her so worried. Even the usual threat of paperwork wasn't enough to stop her." Ritsuko chuckled faintly. _Hah. She stayed in her office the whole time, bitterly complaining about all the paperwork. I bet she didn't even wonder if he was okay._

The black cloud gathering over Shinji's head blew away in the face of this admission. _So…she was worried? About me?_

"_Yes kid, that is what the blonde piece of hotness said."_

"Ahem." As Ritsuko's eyes met Shinji's, her smile vanished, replaced instead with cold indifference. "So Shinji, let's get to the point." She dropped all pretensions of friendliness, putting her hands on her knees.

"W-what do you mean?"

Ritsuko's gaze narrowed. "…Don't be coy. Who were you talking to during the battle?"

"I-I wasn't talking to anyone!"

Doctor Akagi snorted. "Oh really?" She dug into her lab coat's pocket, producing a beige tape player. "Let's see what this says."

*click*

"_**She What?!"**_

*click*

"…_**But, they told me to…"**_

*click*

"_**Please, just let me focus!"**_

Doctor Akagi stopped the tape, regarding Shinji with a coolly smug look. "It seems you were engaged in quite the heated conversation, Shinji." She asked, almost succeeding at hiding the smugness she felt.

Shinji turned white as a sheet. _They know! I'm so dead! _"…Uh…um…" He stammered, desperately searching for a lie and finding nothing.

Ritsuko had to fight hard to keep the evil smirk off her face. "So…Who were you talking to?"

Sweat cascaded down Shinji's neck. "uhhh…" _So dead So dead So dead!_

"Come on, focus now." Ritsuko was starting to feel impatient. She looked down at her clipboard, sighing quietly. _Why does he bother with this song and dance? He knows that we know, so why try to hide it now?_

Gig cleared his ghostly throat. _"…Kid, I've got a plan. Just repeat what I say, and this'll all turn out fine."_

_R-Really? You mean that?!_

"_Yeah! You'll be fine …Probably!"_

Ritsuko turned a hard gaze on Shinji, her brow furrowing in slight frustration. "One more time, Shinji. Who. Were. You. Talking. To?" She emphasized each word, rapidly tiring of dealing with the recalcitrant Third Child. _I should've just had Misato bring him to one of the interrogation rooms and make her do this. She'd probably get him to talk. Or have one of the Section Two goons do it…No, we still need him to pilot. Rei's almost useless right now._

"Uh….um…." _What's your great plan and can I have it now!?_

"_Alright then. Say it was… the__** robot!**__" _Gig declared, making sure to pause for dramatic emphasis.

_Wait, say it was the Eva?! T-That'll never work!_

Gig laughed._ "No way! It'll totally throw them off!"_

"Well?" Ritsuko leaned in close, her hand on her chin. "Who was it?_"_

Shinji knew on some level that Gig was lying, but he didn't have any other options. He drew in on himself, summoning every bit of courage he had. His hand clenched, shaking in apprehension. _ Here goes…_ "…The EVA." He admitted, hoping against hope that Dr. Akagi would buy it.

But the reaction he got was far different than the one he'd hoped for.

_Oh, if only I hadn't read the sync report before I got here. I might've believed that one. _"Oh really?" She smirked, leaning back in the chair. She held up the tape recorder again and pressed play.

"_**She What?!"**_ His embarrassed shout hadn't gotten any quieter on the second play.

_Oh, I wonder what your excuse is now? _ Ritsuko smirked, feeling supremely smug right now. "So, what brought that little shout on?"

"…Umm…uhhh…" Shinji curled up tighter, unwilling to bring up what had happened with Hikari. "She…said that a girl from school…was…checking…me…out…"

"_I'm not a girl you little prick!" _Gig yelled, incensed at Shinji's little slipup.

_I'm sorry! It just slipped out! But it'll look worse if I change it!_

It felt like Gig was pouting again_. "Rrrr…Fine. I'll let it slide, kid. But next time you- wait what going on with the doctor chick?_

_**She**__…? Oh no… _Ritsuko sat back in her chair, her complexion quickly turning a pale white. "…Oh. Oh I see." She said, a little too quickly to hide the nerves behind her words. "Well, thank you for telling me. A…doctor will come by later to discharge you…Misato will pick you up." She stood up, almost dropping her clipboard as she hurried out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving a fairly confused Shinji (and a smug as hell Gig) sitting up in a hospital bed.

He looked around, feeling even more in the dark than usual. "…What just happened?"

Gig laughed heartily._ "Told you it would work."_

* * *

"…And that's what he said." Ritsuko finished, standing in the center of the Commander's cavernous office. The place was dank, dark, and cold, a perfect complement to the man who nearly lived in the damn thing.

The brown-haired man seated behind the giant black desk finally turned around, having faced the other way since the doctor came in. The unzipped dress jacket, red dress shirt, and black pants made him seem more casual than his employees. "…I see." The man's orange tinted glasses, plus his white gloved hands, effectively hid any reaction on his bearded face.

"What should we do?" Ritsuko asked, feeling like she already knew the answer.

"…Schedule an interrogation. Learn everything it could have told him." The tone was calm and quiet, masking the man's intense curiosity.

Ritsuko blinked. "You don't actually believe him, do you? I've checked the sync records during the fight. Gendo, his sync ratio wasn't anywhere close to being able to communicate with…her."

Gendo stood up, turning away from Ritsuko. He took a few paces towards the wall, locking his hands together behind him.

"…I'll schedule one for next week." Ritsuko slumped, feeling drained already.

He didn't turn around. "Good. Dismissed, doctor."

Ritsuko hurried out of the cold room, leaving Gendo alone in the black darkness of the office.

"It is impossible…" His voice echoed around the cavernous office. _But maybe…Just maybe…_

* * *

Shinji shuffled out of the school gate, his arms and legs still feeling stiff and sore. _Guess that thing really wanted to leave a mark on me. _"Well, schools over, so now what should I do?" He asked, watching as the last of the kids left the school.

"_Can I vote we go somewhere not lame?"_

It had been two days since he'd been discharged from the hospital. Misato had hugged him the instant she'd seen him, telling him that she was proud of how brave and tough he'd been in the Angel battle. This had earned an embarrassed (but happy) blush from Shinji and an internal laughing fit from Gig.

"Like the mall?" Shinji asked,

Gig coughed._ "Lame."_

Shinji deflated a bit, but he tried again. "The movie theatre?"

Gig sighed._ "Somehow even lamer."_

Shinji looked down at his shoes, thankful that the school was pretty much empty now. "…The dock?" he tried, already feeling stupid for suggesting it.

Gig growled, his voice filled with frustration. _"Can't you come up- hey, there's some kid running towards us."_

"hm?" Shinji looked up. Sure enough, there was some guy in a black tracksuit slowing to a stop in front of him.

The black-haired boy skidded to a stop only four feet from him. "Look man, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" The boy doubled over, his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. He looked pretty built for a fourteen year-old, but this display was casting some doubt as to his real fitness level.

Shinji had been expecting another beating, so this threw him a little. "Huh?" he asked, confused as to why this kid was asking for_ his_ forgiveness. "Umm….who are you?" He asked, feeling stupid for not knowing his name.

The boy's face was a fire-engine red, and he was panting like he'd just run across the whole city. "My name's…Toji Suzuhara. I-I was outta line for beatin you up like that! Please, lemme make it up to ya!" The boy panted, holding up a hand to stop him.

"_Wait, this two-cent chump is the guy who gave you that black eye? Are you friggen serious?"_

Shinji blinked. "…How do you want to make it up to me?" He said slowly, unused to being apologized to.

Toji looked up, uncertainty writ large across his face. "You can beat me up, if you like! I did it to you, so…"

Shinji shook his head. While the thought of punching Toji back sounded nice, he didn't have the strength or willpower to actually make it count or go through with it. _I'll just say it was okay. That's the easiest solution for everybody. _"…You don't have to-"

Touji straightened up, holding up a hand to stop Shinji. "…I'll let you do it! Or…I'll throw a phys ed match for ya, …or…or…I'll do anything! Just, please, let me make it up to you!" he pleaded, desperation clear in both his eyes and his voice. _Sis'll never let me hear the end of it if he just leaves!_

"…_Oh. Heheheh…"_

Shinji didn't like that laugh. That was a _knowing_ laugh. _Gig?_

If Gig could've smiled, he'd look like a shark that had just smelled blood. _"What perfect timing! You were wondering about my powers, right? Well, I'm in a generous mood tonight, so here's a freebie. Dominion."_

_Dominion?_

Gig chuckled. _"Yup. The whole thing's really pretty simple. Hell, you probably don't even need my help, but… Basically, you can dominate someone once they consent. Since this dumbass just gave us a blank check, just use (Dominate). I'll be kind enough to represent it with a manikin." _He said confidently. _ "I'll explain the rest once you do it."_

"Well?! I-I'll do anything!" Toji tried again, unaware that Shinji wasn't paying any attention to him.

"_Come on, what've you got to lose?"_

_Okay… _"Um…there is something I wanted to try." Shinji started, unsure of how to phrase it without sounding like some crazy deviant.

Toji froze, dread creeping up his spine at Shinji's strange tone. "…wh-what is it?" He asked, a bit of fear slipping into his voice. _Damn it sis! Why'd you have to make me go do this!?_

"It's in this book I read, so, uh…"

"Oh, sure. Sure. I consent, to whatever it is."

"_Welp, he said it. Go ahead then, dominate him." _

_This is so stupid. _"Er…I dominate…Toji."

A bright flash blinded Shinji and Toji for a split second. When his eyes cleared up, he saw a tiny cloth doll lying in his hand. It had stiff black hair, brown eyes, and it was wearing a tracksuit.

"_This manikin represents the dude you just dominated. And just like that, you control him!" _Gig explained, his confident tone echoing in Shinji's head.

_Wait, I control him?!_

Gig laughed happily._ "Yup! You can call him out and make him take a beating for you anytime, anywhere!"_

Toji blinked, unsure of whether to believe his eyes or his brain. "Um…Was that it?" He frowned momentarily once he caught sight of the doll in Shinji's hand. "Hey, what's that you're holdin'?"

"_Go ahead and explain it to him, will ya? I still can't control this sack of fat enough to make it talk."_

Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Well…"

* * *

Toji blinked, slowly processing what he'd just been told. "…Oh. …I guess it's okay. I mean, I said anything, and well…I meant it." Toji shrugged, a smile inching on to his face as he turned to leave. "Still, it's kinda crazy when you think about it."

Shinji opened his mouth, feeling brave after explaining that weird concept. "…Oh and um…" He started, only to trail off. He looked away, hoping Toji would just keep going. _I can't ask that of him. _

Toji stopped, turning around to face Shinji. "Yeah?" he called.

Shinji felt his shoulders slump. "N-Nevermind…" He said weakly.

Touji frowned. "Look dude, what do you want?" He crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently. "I've gotta meet somebody, so just say what you wanna say."

Shinji swallowed nervously. "Um…Well…I…don't really know anybody around here, so…can I…um….hang out with you?" He trailed off, already berating himself for being so _stupid_ to think that a guy whose sister he'd _hospitalized_ would-

"…That's it? Man, that's no problem." Toji smiled, putting a hand on Shinji's arm and pulling as he started walking. "I'm heading over to the arcade later today to meet with Ken. Actually, I think he'd be more than happy to meet ya." Toji took his hand off Shinji once they'd crossed the street.

Shinji fell into step beside Toji, feeling a genuine smile creep onto his face. A warm and fuzzy feeling spread over the Third Child, leaving him almost…giddy. "T-thanks, Toji. This means a lot to-"

"Good _god _you're pathetic."

They both stopped dead on the sidewalk. Shinji slapped a hand over his mouth, looking around fearfully as Toji did the same. _That…That was…Oh no…_

Toji turned back to Shinji, dread creeping over him as he realized that this particular street was empty. "…Was…was that you, man…?" Toji swallowed, wondering just what he'd gotten himself into.

"Huh? What're you two freaking out over- Holy crap! I can talk now! This is awesome!" Gig laughed, his tone going from annoyed to jubilant in a microsecond. _ I'm gonna have fun with __**this!**_

Shinji's eyes shrank to pinpricks. _Somebody help._

* * *

"_Oh wow! They kept this one in too! This bodes well!"_


	4. The Phresh Reaper of Tokyo3

Chapter 4: **_Gaming The System_**

"-So that's when I almost won the fifteenth time!"

Toji sighed, grimacing slightly. _Whole time across the city and he never shut up once._ Surprisingly, no one had paid attention to them beyond a few brief looks."…Was it like this before he could talk?" He asked, staring at the light across the street.

"Yes."

Toji winced at Shinji's defeated tone. _Man, I feel sorry for Shinji. If I had a guy this annoying in my head, I'd go crazy in a heartbeat. It's like being around Kensuke when he's in military nerd mode, except Shinji can't leave…._He stopped in front of the arcade's entrance and looked around. _Where is Ken anyway? Does he think I ditched him?_

" Hey! Toji!"

_Nevermind. _"Hey Ken." Toji looked up, watching the bespectacled nerd run up to him. "Thanks for waiting, man."

"Dude, you took like a half hour! What took so…" Kensuke trailed off as his eyes focused on the boy next to Toji. "…is that the pilot?" He asked, voice filled with equal amounts of apprehension and hope.

"His name's Shinji Ikari, and I'm gonna show him around the arcade. That's fine with you, right?"

The freckled boy's stupidly happy smile was so wide it looked downright freaky. "N-no way, man! That's more than cool with me!" He stammered excitedly, his short, sandy brown hair swishing in time with his head's frantic shaking. He extended a shaky hand, looking at Shinji with eyes full of obsessive hope. "M-my name's Kensuke Aida! Let's be friends! I-if you wouldn't mind, that is!"

_He wants to be my friend? _Shinji blinked at the boy's excited display, a slow smile crawling across his face. _Maybe that won't be so bad..._ He extended his hand in kind, opening his mouth to introduce himself. "N-nice to meet you, -"

"NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD!"

Kensuke recoiled like he'd just been slapped, Shinji covered his mouth in an instant, and Toji just sighed in frustration. The customers around them backed up a few feet, forming a wall-to-wall half circle around the three boys.

"Wh-what the hell was that for!? I didn't do anything to you, jerk!" Ken shouted, his wide smile replaced with a shocked look of hurt. He pointed a shaking finger at Shinji, heedless of the many stares they were getting from both the arcade's patrons and the pedestrians. He opened his mouth to speak, only to shut it when he felt Toji's hand clamp down on his shoulder.

Toji glanced conspiratorially around at the people now looking at them. "It's complicated. We'll explain inside. Come on." He dragged Ken inside the arcade, with Shinji following awkwardly behind. The people who'd been staring looked for a few more moments, before shrugging and continuing on their way.

* * *

Kensuke blinked, both from his eyes adjusting to the dim light inside the arcade, and from trying to process what he'd just been told. "So, he's possessed by a ghost?" He asked incredulously, his voice almost drowned out by the chaotic sounds of the arcade machines.

Toji shrugged. "Pretty much, as far as I can tell." He jerked a thumb in Shinji's direction. "According to Shinji, taunts and jeers are pretty much all he can do."

"Screw you with a light pole, dumbass!" Thankfully, even Gig's vile voice couldn't pierce the arcade's noise field. The rest of the patrons didn't even look in their direction.

"See?"

Kensuke scratched his nose. "…Huh."

"I-I'm really sorry…I try to stop him, but sometimes he just…slips out. Maybe it'd be better to-" Shinji looked like he was about to bolt.

Kensuke scratched the back of his neck, feeling intensely awkward. "Umm…N-no, it's fine." He offered lamely. " He just… caught me off guard, that's all." He offered lamely, feeling incredibly stupid for calling Shinji out like that. "I-I still wanna be your friend, though!" He pled desperately, already considering getting down on his hands and knees.

Gig laughed at the sight of Kensuke's pleading face. "Ha! You're really gonna take this lameass nerd with you? He's only sticking around cause you ride around in a giant robot!" He sneered.

Kensuke shook his head wildly at the incredibly true statement. "N-no I'm not!" He stammered angrily.

Gig scoffed. "Ha! So you're not just trying to appease your raging nerd boner for giant robots? _Sure._ Well, I'll leave it up to the kid. You wanna take this obsessive nerd with you or not?"

Shinji grimaced._ Sometimes, I really, really, really wish he had a mute button. _"…I-I'd be happy to be friends with you…Mr. Aida." He said awkwardly, completely unused to people asking _him_ to be _their_ friend.

Kensuke slumped, relief evident in both his face and his body. "Thanks, but, um, please call me Ken. Mr. Aida makes me feel old!" He laughed nervously.

The ensuing silence was broken when Gig coughed. "…You keep some _lame_ company, kid. I'll leave it up to you whether you want to dominate him, though I don't see why, since the jock's at least a better meatshield." He yawned softly. "I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me up when something interesting happens."

Toji blinked, glancing at the other two boys. "…Did he just fall asleep?"

Shinji glanced around. Whenever Gig was awake, and especially when he was talking, it always felt like someone his size was standing right behind him. Now that Gig had ostensibly fallen asleep, it felt like something much tinier was behind him. Like a bird, or maybe a small dog. "…I think he did."

Toji smiled, clapping a hand on both Kensuke's and Shinji's shoulders. "Then I've got an arcade to show off. Come on!" He walked into the thick of the arcade, pulling both Ken and Shinji with him.

* * *

Ritsuko leaned back in her chair, sighing deeply. She shut her eyes, digging around in her coat pocket for a moment, quickly pulling out a half empty pack. Sliding open her desk drawer, she picked up a silver lighter and lit her cigarette in one smooth motion. She set the lighter back in the drawer, slipping the cigarette into her mouth at the same time.

"…So, this is Rei's pilot profile?"

Ritsuko took a good pull before addressing the woman standing behind her. "So, you finally managed to crawl out from under that pile of paper. Or is an unfortunate Section Two member buried under an avalanche of black and white?" She deadpanned, taking great delight in the hurt look the captain was giving her.

Misato's shoulders slumped, frowning at the playful jab. "Ha ha. Real funny, doc." She groused, walking back around the desk. "Bet you had to try hard for that one."

Ritsuko chuckled lightly at Misato's pouting face. "Oh, you know me. I put a hundred percent into everything I do."

Misato rolled her eyes. "Right. Anyway, this is Rei's profile, right?" She said, grabbing the monitor and turning it to the side. "Why are you erasing it?" She asked, a bit of confusion in her voice.

Ritsuko sighed. "It's for Unit-00's activation later this week." She waved a hand dismissively towards the screen. "This is just a formality, but the commander is insistent that it's done."

Misato frowned, playing a bit with her cross. "…Wait, activation? I thought it was already activated once?"

Ritsuko shook her head, supressing a shudder at the memory. "It was, but the original activation ended in failure. Unit-00 lost control and had to be frozen." She said calmly, hiding the abject fear she'd felt when it had tried to smash through the plate glass in the control room.

Misato actually looked shocked at this little tidbit. "Wait, what? Why'd that happen?"

"Well, we're not entirely sure." Ritsuko lied. "but it was thought to be because of instability in the pilot."

Misato laughed, disbelief written on her face and in her voice. "…Rei? Unstable? Are we talking about the same girl?" Misato stared at the doctor incredulously. "Blue hair, follows all orders, very quiet?"

Ritsuko looked away, regretting telling Misato anything. "Just because she's quiet doesn't mean she's not disturbed. The girl's problems made the test fail. End of story."

_Misato pursed her lips. " If anything, the only person around here with serious problems is…_" Misato trailed off awkwardly, slightly regretting bringing it up.

Ritsuko cocked her blonde head to the side, fixing Misato with an olive-green stare. "Yes?" she coaxed, slightly irritated at the way Misato fidgeted.

Captain Katsuragi chewed her lip, finding her shoes a very interesting spot to stare at. "…About Shinji…is it true? Did he really talk to the Eva during the battle?"

Ritsuko tensed ever so slightly, but she forced herself to relax. "…I can't say yet. He's at least convinced that he talked to it. Whether he's crazy or if it was just the heat and pain of battle getting to him, I don't know." Ritsuko sighed, taking another long drag of cigarette smoke. "Without any data outside of battle, I can't say one way or the other…Why are you looking at me like that?"

Misato pursed her lips, slowly raising her index finger to point at the blonde doctor. "…Ritz? Remember how you were coming over for dinner tomorrow?" She stated, her tone calm and serious.

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" _What do dinner plans have to do with Shinji?_

"What if we moved that up a bit?"

The good doctor blinked, comprehension dawning on her face. "Ah, I see. Yes, that could work. Fine, I'll come over tonight." Ritsuko smirked at Misato's tiny sigh of relief. "It's good to see you're so worried about our combat capability."

Misato frowned, slightly annoyed at Ritsuko's phrasing. "Of course I'm worried about it, but…" She trailed off, sighing in frustration. "It's just…he's a kid, he should be doing kid things like playing with his friends, or watching movies, or trying to talk to girls." She shook her head, purple hair falling in front of her eyes. "Instead of doing normal stuff like that, he just comes home, does the chores, and then he holes up in his room listening to Mozart or something. " She slumped, sighing unhappily. "I'm not sure he's called a single person with that cellphone we gave him."

Ritsuko rolled her eyes, inwardly smirking at Misato's stricken look. _Of all the times, your_ _maternal instincts choose __**now**__ to flare up? How unprofessional. _She kept all amusement off her face, instead fixing Misato with her version of a reassuring smile. "I understand. I'll do everything I can to get this sorted out." She turned her monitor back around. "Is seven pm good?"

Misato nodded. "Yeah, that'll work." She turned and walked to the door, her steps loose and relaxed. She turned back around at the doorway, offering Ritsuko an honest smile. "Thanks again, Ritz."

Ritsuko waved her off. "Yes, yes you're welcome. Now get going."

The door shut, leaving Dr. Akagi alone once again. She stared at the screen, sighing softly. _Much as Misato thinks it'll help, I don't believe Shinji will be off-guard at home. _She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. _Not when I'm there…No, I need a way to get data on him when he's all alone…_

Ritsuko's thoughts were interrupted by the ding of a pop-up.

"Oh for god's sake I thought I turned you…off…" She paused, reading the text on the pop-up.

_Pilot Rei Ayanami requires a new security card. Please deliver a new card as soon as possible._

Ritsuko slowly started to smile as gears began turning in her brain. _ A place where he thinks he'll be all alone…_ She flipped open her phone, knowing exactly who she needed to call.

"Security? We need a few more cameras in pilot Ayanami's apartment complex…"

* * *

Ritsuko groaned. "Oh come on, Misato. Really? Instant curry? That counts as dinner food?" She sighed, leaning a bit farther back from the table. "If only it had been Shinji's turn to cook…"

Misato frowned, shooting her erstwhile 'friend' a disapproving glance. "Hey, you accepted the invitation to dinner, so you don't get to complain." She turned back to her plate and noisily started to eat.

Ritsuko rolled her eyes and shook her head."…If you say so. At least I can wash it down with your beer."

Misato grinned at that. "Yup. Speaking of which… Another two beers, Shinji!"

"O-okay!" came the boy's quick reply as he got up with practiced ease.

He returned promptly with the two beers, and sat back down. Aside from some stiff posture, he didn't seem any different than when he was at NERV.

Ritsuko eyed Shinji carefully. _ Seems I was right to believe it wouldn't be so easy. Alright, time for plan A. _ "Shinji?" She asked sweetly, making him look up. "Could you do me a favor and give this to Rei?" She asked kindly, producing a small card from her purse. "I should've done it today, but I forgot." She smiled.

The boy blinked. "…Um…Sure, Dr. Akagi." He reluctantly agreed, taking the card and shoving it in his pocket.

The good doctor nodded. "Thank you, Shinji. Go to her place tomorrow and hand it to her. The address is on the card. Oh, and come see me afterward, if you could? " She finished, relaxing once he'd nodded his assent. _Now then, let's just hope that Section Two came through for once…_

"Hey! I need more booze, Shinji!" Misato crowed, throwing her already drained can of Yebisu into the sink.

The boy sighed, getting up once again. "Coming, Misato…"

* * *

"_So kid, refresh my memory. Why exactly are we walking around in hobotown again?"_

Shinji rolled his eyes, almost tripping over a bag of garbage. "To give Rei her new access card." He sighed, dodging around an errant newspaper. _Though why she lives in a place like this is beyond me._

"…_and why exactly are we doing this?"_

Shinji grimaced, stepping around a sleeping man that smelled and dressed like Misato on her worse days. "Because she's my co-worker….and Dr. Akagi forgot to do it." He wiped his forehead, wanting to get this over with as fast as possible. It was hot, and the weather service had issued a heat warning for midday. Shinji had no intention of being caught out in the worst of it because of an argument.

Gig snorted. _"Right. So, where does this chick live anyway?"_

Shinji stopped, digging the card out of his pants pocket. "It says…" He looked up, staring at the dilapidated concrete apartment block in front of him. "Right… here…"

The boy stepped inside the lobby, and staggered immediately at the stench. He gagged, feeling for a second like he was going to throw up. _She lives here?!_

"_Ugh! It smells like something died in here!"_ Gig spat.

Shinji coughed. "Wouldn't that appeal to the Master of Death?" He stated, feeling brave for once.

"_Are you high or something!?_" Gig yelled incredulously. _"This place is disgusting! How the hell would that appeal to me?!"_

Shinji blinked. "…Oh. I just thought-"

"_Yeah, you just 'thought'."_ Gig paused, watching a rat dash out of the welcome desk and up the wall, disappearing into the ceiling. _"Let's just get this over with."_ He sighed.

Shinji stepped into the elevator, shivering slightly as it began to creakily ascend.

"…_Wait a sec. She's your …teammate, right?"_

"Yes…?" Shinji offered, glancing around the tiny elevator cab at the random creaks and judders he heard.

"_And you're like, what, the only two people on the planet that can fight the…'Angels', right?"_

Shinji shrugged. "Yes…? I think we are, anyway-!" He jumped as something came off the elevator with a bang.

"…_Then what the hell is she doing in a piss-stained ruin like this?" _Gig asked, his voice a mix of shock and confusion. _"Not that I can claim to understand the thoughts of peons, but shouldn't you get like, a penthouse suite or something? Come to think of it, why did she let them stick her in this dump?"_

Shinji blinked. He'd never even thought of it like that before. "I…I don't know…" He would've continued, but the ding of his arrival stopped him. He took a deep breath as the elevator doors slid open, and he stepped forward.

Shinji gingerly crept across the concrete floor, in fear that a wrong step would send him plummeting three stories. "It was floor three, door 607, right?" He asked, pulling the card out of his pocket and reading the address again.

Gig rolled his eyes. _"Hell if I know. That scratch means nothing to me."_

Shinji stopped dead in front of the first door. "Wait…you can't read?" he whispered, genuinely shocked.

"_No, not really."_ Gig said flippantly.

Shinji pursed his lips. "…Why not?"

Gig shrugged._ "Never had to. Murder's a form-free activity."_

"…Oh." Shinji slumped, turning his attention back to looking for Rei Ayanami's apartment. As he made his way along the hall, he thought he could hear something like running water, but it was too muffled to pinpoint. Plus, the random creaks and groans the building made distracted him from thinking about it that much.

Eventually, he found what he was looking for. "Wait,_ this_ is Ayanami's apartment?" Shinji didn't want to believe what he was seeing. The door looked just as shabby as the rest of the building, and the mailbox next to it was crammed full of mail that Rei had evidently never bothered reading. The neat freak in him was quietly appalled. "Should I knock, or…?" He trailed off, silently debating his options.

"…_Kid, did you just see that?"_ Gig's tone was unusually quiet.

Shinji looked around, finding nothing of interest. "Huh?" He offered, confused by Gig's vague observation.

"_That thing up in the corner. It's all grey and boxy, but it looks new."_

Shinji looked up. There it was, just like Gig said. It was boxy, steely grey, and with a little blinking red light next to the lens. Even to a media virgin like Shinji, there was only one thing it could be.

"…A surveillance camera?"

* * *

Ritsuko Akagi's head hit her keyboard. "CHIRON YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!"

* * *

"_So wait, they can afford to keep that blue-haired chick under 24 hour watch, but they can't spring for a place that doesn't reek of dead hobo?"_ Gig sounded thoughtful.

Shinji shrugged, turning back towards the door. "…I guess Ayanami must like this place, to get something like that here."

"…_Kid. I'm giving you five seconds to realize how dumb that sounds."_

Shinji shrugged. "It's not like there's any other reason she'd stay." He muttered, shaking his head.

Gig chuckled. _"Hey, she ate my lie up like it was candy. You think she isn't gullible enough to get tricked into staying here?"_

Shinji sighed. "I don't know…" he turned back to the door and shut his eyes. In one smooth motion he pushed the door open and walked into the apartment's main room, conveniently walking straight through the kitchen and how bad it looked. "I guess she just…just…" The words died in his throat when he opened his eyes.

It was a _mess._ Random trash littered the floor, spent bandages and other medical supplies littered every surface. The walls were covered in a layer of grime that looked quite old, and the floor, or what could be seen of it under the trash, was hardly better. Every bit of furniture was caked in dust and grime. The only things that looked even remotely clean were the closet and the bed. Even Misato's apartment on its worst days never looked this…abandoned.

Shinji walked over to the curtains framing the door to the veranda and threw them open, gawking at the grime on the glass door. _It's like she doesn't even care that this place is dirty! Doesn't she have any pride in her home?_ He had to talk to her about this. Even if she liked living in a grimy, disgusting ruin, it wasn't safe! She should-

"Ikari? Why are you here?"

To Shinji's credit, he didn't jump out of his skin or bolt from the apartment.

Instead, he froze for a good ten seconds, before very slowly turning around to face Rei Ayanami. Her bandages were gone, and she was clad in her school uniform. Her face held the same blank expression he'd seen every other time he'd seen her, except now it wasn't bandaged.

"H-hi, Ayanami." He croaked, feeling his voice untrustworthy of much more.

If Rei cared that he'd barged into her home without even knocking, she didn't show it. "…Why are you here?" She asked again, her voice just as blank and lifeless as before.

Shinji gulped. _Is she angry?_ "Oh, right! Um, I was sent to give you the new security card." He nervously dug the card out of his pocket, presenting it to the blue haired girl. "Th-They're updating this week or something."

"I see." She replied curtly, taking the offered card in one smooth motion. She strode over to a chair next to her bed and sat down, picking a book off her bed and flipping to a page.

Feeling bored, Gig looked around. He quickly spied a bottle of pills on the nightstand. _Hey, that looks good and heavy… _ He looked to the glass door, then the pills, then back to the door, smiling evilly.

"_Hey kid. What's with the drugs?"_

"Huh?" Shinji blurted, quickly catching sight of the bottle on Rei's nightstand. "Oh…Wait, Ayanami? Are you sick?"

Rei didn't even look up. "No. I am in perfect health." Rei's tone was calm and clinical as she continued reading. "Those are prescribed to me by Dr. Akagi as a precaution."

"_Ask her if we can see them. I'm kinda suspicious of that doctor chick."_

Shinji complied, feeling slightly confused. "…Can I see them?"

At that, Rei did look up. She blinked owlishly, unused to being sincerely asked for permission. "…I do not believe that would be a problem." She ventured, sounding slightly awkward. _I feel odd. I should ask the commander what this means later._

Shinji took her response as a yes and strode over to the nightstand, which stood next to the veranda door. He picked up the bottle and began reading the label on it. Aside from its considerable weight and incredibly dense medical terminology, there was nothing special about-

"_**NOW!"**_

In one smooth motion, before Shinji could even begin to comprehend what was happening, Gig threw the bottle straight at Rei's veranda door. It smashed through it with a thunderous crash, scattering glass shards everywhere. It flew across the street, striking an unfortunate brunet in a suit and scattering di-coloured pills everywhere.

Shinji dashed onto the veranda, with Rei following close behind. "Why did you do that?" She asked, sounding more confused than angry.

Shinji opened his mouth to reprimand Gig harshly, but his erstwhile target was faster on the draw.

"_Oh, sorry. I thought they had a bomb in them. False alarm!"_ Gig said cheerily.

Rei blinked quizzically. "…I see. Thank you for your concern." Though she knew that there had been no bomb in the bottle, she'd heard several of Section Two's men refer to an action like that as being 'better safe than sorry'. She didn't quite understand their choice of words, but the meaning behind them was clear.

Gig laughed. _"Oh, no need to thank me. I just did what came naturally."_

"I see." Rei nodded, before turning and walking back inside, with Shinji following shortly thereafter. She closed the book she'd been reading and dropped it on the bed. That finished, she turned and left her apartment, with Shinji dogging her heels all the way to the elevator.

Shinji scratched the back of his head nervously as Rei pressed the call button for the elevator. "…Where are you going, Ayanami?" He asked, feeling awkward at trying to pry into her affairs.

"To NERV. " She stated simply. "Unit-00's activation test is today."

…_Oh yeah, Dr. Akagi wanted me to meet her after I gave Ayanami the card...But that escalator is huge and boring, and with just Gig it'll be… _"Th-then I'll go with you!" He blurted out, feeling slightly stupid the moment he said it.

She turned to regard him, a tiny bit of curiosity in her gaze. "Why?" She asked levelly.

_If she's with me I won't have to listen to Gig babble on about nothing! Come on me, think of something! _His hand curled into a fist almost unconsciously. "Um…Well, I'm supposed to meet with Dr. Akagi today, and…um… you could use the company…on the way there?" He finished, feeling incredibly stupid.

Rei blinked. This was… strange to her. Normally, no one ever approached her with the mere intent of being near her. Usually they had something they wanted to say, be it an order or a piece of information she had to memorize. To have someone stay with her for no reason was…disquieting...and she couldn't understand why. _Perhaps if he stayed with me, I would be able to ascertain why this is so._ "…I see. Very well then, you may accompany me." She stated coolly, turning and walking into the elevator.

Shinji slumped, walking into the elevator after her. "Why does she have to sound so cold?" He muttered quietly as the elevator doors creaked shut.

Gig snorted. _"Beats me. Why do you have to sound like such a dork?"_

Shinji shut his eyes and groaned as the elevator began to descend.

* * *

"Those goddamn useless morons!" Ritsuko cursed, making a mental note to chew Chiron's idiotic thugs out the next chance she got. "They might as well have put out a sign advertising that stupid thing! Or painted it hot fluorescent pink!" She sat forward in her chair and grimaced. "Actually, that might've been more useful, because then he might've thought it was FAKE!"

* * *

_Now this is a story all about how_

_my life got flipped turned upside down_

_And I'd like to take a minute just wake up sleeper, _

_I'll tell you how I became the undisputed Death God Reaper_

_A central Drazilian, born and raised, _

_in the palace, was where I spent most of my days,_

_Chillin out max and relaxing all the while, _

_or killing some fools making fun of my style_

_When a couple of girls, who were up to no good, _

_started makin trouble in my neighbourhood._

_I started one little fight and got sealed in a sword, _

_all because of a cheap hit that old hag scored._

_I spent two hundred years in that black sheathed prison,_

_Planning out my revenge for the day I'd arisen._

_I had it all figured out, to the day of my return_

_When I heard a freaky voice that made my stomach turn._

_There were some crazy clashes and blasts of dark magic_

_The fact I couldn't join in was just plain tragic._

_Then with a hell of a bang, it all disappeared, _

_Leaving me in a ditch feeling nothing but weird_

_So I wound up in Japan where things were less clear, _

_Like how I couldn't kill folks for no reason here._

_If anything I could say that this place is lame, _

_but I thought 'nah forget it, I'll play some head games!'_

_I, jumped, in-side a sad sack living with a hot chick_

_And I yelled to the kid 'thanks for the body, slick!'_

_I looked at the city, I was finally free_

_To reap the all the souls my eyes- _

Shinji frowned. "Stop that."

"_-could-"_

Shinji slumped, sighing in a long-suffering way. "If you don't stop I'm going to let Misato cook tonight." He deadpanned.

"…_You __**suck,**__ kid." _

Shinji sighed again, feeling more than a little irritated at Gig's nonstop babbling/complaining. _ And now he's pouting again. For someone who says he doesn't like people, he's very…talkative. _Shinji looked up, watching Rei stride forward almost mechanically on the grey concrete sidewalk. He looked around, only to realize that they were still pretty much next to Rei's building. According to the map Misato had him memorize, they still had another ten minutes to go. _Why does this have to take so long…And why am I even coming along? I gave her the card, so why am I coming with her? She's…weird, and it's not like I owe her anything._ _Besides, Gig's still annoying even with someone who can hear him too. _Shinji kept his head down as they walked, paying no attention to anything around him.

They were halfway through a cherry tree lined street before Gig finally spoke up again.

"Hey! What's your face! Er, Rei!" He yelled, his rough voice echoing between the low buildings.

Rei stopped, slowly turning to regard Shinji with a cool stare that held the barest hint of impatience. "…What is it?" She asked, her flat tone betraying none of the slight irritation she felt.

Gig chuckled, unconcerned by her frosty tone. "Well, it's just that the kid here forgot to mention something pretty important."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" she queried, her slight impatience replaced by an equally slight amount of curiosity.

Shinji blinked. _ I did?_

"Yeah, we got a letter yesterday about some new security measures for NERV. Apparently some dude broke in without a problem last week." If Gig's tone was any more offhand, he would've dropped it like a ten pound weight.

Now Shinji felt really lost. _What is he talking about? I never got a letter about anything, and Dr. Akagi just gave me Rei's security card._

Rei stepped closer, leaving only a few feet between her and Shinji. "So, what are these new security measures?"

Gig chuckled, happy that Ayanami had taken the bait once again. "Well, the card was the first part, but now it seems you need some kind of red crystal to get in. They called it a 'Crimson Tear'. "His tone abruptly switched to one that dripped concern. "Me and the kid've got one for ourselves, but what about you?"

Rei frowned, trying to recall whether she'd ever heard of such a thing. "…I do not possess a 'Crimson Tear'." She stated, her momentary frown replaced by her normal blank look.

_Now for step two. _Gig sighed dramatically, making sure to fill it with as much regret as possible. "Well then, guess you can't get inside. The commander will be _so_ disappointed you couldn't show up." Gig smiled at the tiny look of fear in Rei's eyes. "Man, he has such _faith_ in you, and you'll prove how much that was warranted when you can't even get inside the base." Gig twisted the knife further, delighting at the growing horror in Rei's eyes. "I bet he'll be wondering 'why isn't she here? Can't I at least trust her to arrive on time?' And then he'll find out _just_ where you are, and he'll be distraught at the fact that you couldn't be _bothered_ to follow _protocol._" Gig finished, stifling a chuckle as he waited for Rei's response.

Rei shook. It was a tiny, almost impossibly fast twitch, but both Gig and Shinji noticed it. "…What should I do?" Her voice wavered slightly, her eyes squeezing shut almost on instinct.

_And here comes the fun part! _"Well, actually, it turns out you're in luck!" Gig's voice filled with false cheer. "There's actually one buried right there, under that big tree!" Gig chuckled as Rei turned to look at the very old and very dead cherry tree beside them. "Start digging, look for a blood red gem. That's the Crimson Tear." He finished, trying very hard not to snicker at the way her body relaxed.

Rei looked to the side, staring intently at the ground around the cherry tree's blackened trunk. "I see…Thank you for your assistance." She stated, her eyes still glued to the cherry tree's roots as she marched up to it.

Gig chuckled heartily. "Oh, no need to thank me! If you don't find it right away, just keep looking!" Now Gig was quickly losing the battle to keep from collapsing into gales of laughter. "But if it's all the same to you, we'll go on ahead and wait for ya! BUh-Bye!" _Now march, kid!_

Shinji automatically fell into step at Gig's command, walking forward like a trained dog. He realized what he was doing about half a block away. With a bit of a self-scolding, he turned back to check on Rei, only to catch her petitioning some tiny old man for a shovel. Shinji frowned at the sight. To trick someone that naïve….It wasn't right to do that to her. "…That wasn't very nice." Shinji frowned.

Gig laughed. It was a short, sharp, malicious laugh that stopped the words in Shinji's throat cold. "Oh what? _Now_ you're gonna complain? You sure as hell didn't speak up before!" He snapped. "If she's really willing to believe such an _idiotic_ lie, she deserves what she gets! I just don't have the energy to put up with a chick like her. She makes me wanna…strangle a kitten or something. Anyway, I-" He abruptly stopped, going completely silent.

It was almost half a minute later when Shinji finally spoke up. "Gig? Are you…okay?"

"What?" Gig abruptly realized Shinji was speaking to him. He shook his head with an arrogant scoff. "Let's just go. I have no interest in staying near familiar idiots." He grumbled.

Shinji watched Rei for a few more moments before turning to continue on to NERV, feeling like a heel the whole way.

* * *

Dr. Ritsuko Akagi leaned back in her office chair and shut her eyes, sighing softly. Truly, padded leather was one of the best perks of her position. It almost made up for having to deal with Chiron earlier. _Now, he should be arriving in three…two…one…_

On cue, the door slid open, revealing the uncomfortable mess of teenage awkwardness that was the Third Child. "Ah, Shinji. I was waiting for you." She stood up, walking to the front of her desk. Once there, she crossed her arms and leaned against it with a knowing smirk.

His eyes darted about for a moment before settling squarely on the floor. "Dr. Akagi? Wh-what did you want me for?" He mumbled.

She rolled her hand. "Well, I'd like you to do a sync test to check something." She pushed off from the desk and walked past him, stopping in the doorway. "Now, if you would just follow me…" She smirked at his stricken expression as he turned to follow her.

* * *

_Must…dig…_Rei's thoughts were focused, even in the hot, dry air. She didn't let anything distract her from her task of digging. Not her growing thirst, not her steadily rising body temperature, not even her aching muscles could stop her. She was a girl on a mission, and she would not disappoint the Commander.

At the other end of the block was an unconscious man lying in the shade of a still-living cherry tree, a rainbow of pills scattered all around him. On his hip was a radio labeled 'Guy Kazama'…

* * *

"Beginning ionization…" The technicians ran through the preparations like well-oiled machines. Within minutes, everything was ready for what they thought was a routine Sync Test.

Ritsuko smiled. At least her own subordinates could be counted on, unlike some others she could think of. _Now then, time to expose this fake._

"_**Wh-what is it, Dr. Akagi?"**_She had to stifle a chuckle at the sight of his face. It was almost adorable how nervous he looked.

"Well, you said it spoke to you before, right? Do you think you could try to communicate with it now?" She asked, trying to sound as nice as she could.

"…_**Umm…O…Okay. I'll try."**_From the look on his face, her tone didn't seem to work all that well.

Ritsuko muted the feed, turning to Maya once that was done. "Lieutenant? What's his sync ratio right now?"

"Um…52%, Dr. Akagi." The mousy brunette replied.

Dr. Akagi raised an eyebrow. _…His_ _sync's holding at 52%?_ _ If __**she**__ was truly conscious, it should be much higher…but I can't use that as a reason._ She looked back to the visibly squirming boy. _I think I'll let him stew for a little while._ "Thank you Maya." She unmuted the feed and leaned closer to the microphone. "Actually, Shinji, hold off on talking to it right now. I need to do some prep work, so just sit tight for now." With that, she sat down and started typing meaningless commands into the computer. _The sheer boredom will hopefully loosen those lips of his…_

* * *

Misato sighed, staring at what still lay everywhere on her desk. _Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork. I wish I did something other than that around here._ Her silent complaints were interrupted by the ring of her cellphone.

Misato sighed. She forced a smile onto her face as she flipped open the phone. "Captain Katsuragi here. Lieutenant Ibuki? What is it?" She said cheerily. Her smile abruptly fell off as she heard the answer. "…Wait, what? Ayanami hasn't shown up yet? Shouldn't she have shown up over an hour ago? Yeah, I'll look into it. You sit tight." Misato hung up, already dialing Chiron's department.

Some generically genial voice greeted her, asking what her reason for calling was.

Misato blinked. "Um…Where the hell is Pilot Ayanami? She should've arrived almost an hour ago. " She asked, feeling slightly irritated at having to talk to NERV's goon squad. She almost dropped the phone at the answer she got. "…What the hell do you mean you don't know!?" She shouted, nearly crushing the phone in her hand. "Wasn't someone supposed to be watching her!?"

The man on the other end sounded apologetic._ "Well, agent Kazama was chosen to keep watch over her, but all attempts to contact him are not being answered."_

Misato's jaw dropped, her anger momentarily smothered by sheer disbelief. _They…They can't be this incompetent. There's no way. _"…Then go find her yourselves, you idiots!" She bellowed. She heard a slightly scared agreement before the line went dead. She sighed, sinking deep into her desk's black leather chair. _Just what kind of hiring policy does Commander Ikari have to get these guys?! I probably can't even trust them to look after a turtle! Or even a washing machine!_

* * *

Shinji fidgeted in the chair. It had been fifteen minutes and they still hadn't started the questioning.

"Um…Dr. Akagi? Should…I, uh…start talking to it?" He offered.

It was a few seconds before the blonde doctor responded. _**"Oh, certainly. We just finished the prep work on our end, so go ahead whenever you want."**_ Ritsuko's voice came through smooth and clean, like gasoline.

"ummm…Okay…" Shinji responded, feeling very helpless all of a sudden. _Oh god what do I do?! I can't think of anything! I don't wanna be operated on!_

Gig coughed meaningfully. "_Quit your whining, kid. I'll help you out. Just repeat what I say and everything'll be fine…probably._

_Okay, so what should I start with!? _

Gig laughed. _ "Hmm…how about…I know! Ask her if she's taken!"_

Shinji blanched. _What?! That's stupid!_

"_No, seriously! It'll totally throw her off!"_ Gig encouraged.

Shinji tried to think of something else to say, but nothing could dislodge Gig's suggestion. _…Okay._ "Um? Dr. Akagi?"

"_**Yes?"**_

* * *

"_**It…wants to know…if…you're…um…seeing anyone…right now."**_

Ritsuko's eyes widened just a hair. _How the hell does he know? I thought nobody except Gendo and I knew! How did __**he**__ figure it out? _"I see." She ground out, keeping her voice flat and level. "Well, I am in a relationship right now. Beyond that is none of its business." She sank into her chair, feeling even more drained than usual. _Actually, it would be her business…Thank god I had the foresight to leave this audio only. _"Is there anything else, Shinji?" she leaned forward, wiping a tiny bit of sweat off her brow.

"_**Umm….It, also wants to know if the…Commander's seeing anyone too."**_

Ritsuko pressed back into her chair, feeling the hairs on her neck stand up. _No. Nonononono. _Ritsuko took a deep breath. _Calm down Akagi! He's just bluffing! He HAS to be! His sync score hasn't budged an inch!_ "I…I see. Well, the commander is a very…private person. He doesn't share much, so I can't say, really. But I believe he's doing fine." She sighed, ruthlessly suppressing a shudder. "Is that all…?"

"_**Oh! Um…It…uh…says that Rei feels familiar…and it wants to know why."**_

The blood drained out of Ritsuko's face as her jaw dropped open. Every part of her body stiffened as that little tidbit echoed over and over in her mind. _…That's…That's not…there's just no way…_ She shook her head, but the black fear in heart would not be so easily vanquished. "….R-really?" She laughed nervously. "That's…I can't say why that would be, Shinji. Is…is there anything else?"

"_**and…It…says it wants to be coloured black with red edging."**_

Ritsuko blinked. "…Really?" She asked honestly. _That's…better than I expected….far better than I expected…Maybe all that time in there has damaged Yui's mind more than we'd thought…_

* * *

Shinji blinked, feeling his nerve crumble as Dr. Akagi remained silent. _ I don't think she bought that! Think of something else!_ He silently pleaded.

"_I'm thinking as fast as I can, idiot!" _Gig snarled back. _" Keep that up and I swear I'll choke you to death! I'll-"_

_**GET OUT!**_

Shinji immediately clutched his head, feeling an absolutely horrid spike of pain shoot through it. "Ah! I…h-huh?" He blinked, feeling the pain vanish as quickly as it came. "Dr. Akagi? …What just happened?" He asked, wondering if there'd been a glitch or something.

"…_**.250%? That's-huh? Shinji? Did you say something?"**_

"…_Kid?"_ If Shinji was more observant, he would've noticed Gig's rather…unnerved tone. _ "I suggest we bail. Like, right now."_

Shinji blinked. _I guess he's out of ideas. _"Um…Dr. Akagi?" He ventured. "Should I keep talking to it…?"

"_**Oh, no, it's alright, Shinji. You can go. We need to, ah, review the results of this test. Just…uh…go home or something."**_ Ritsuko laughed nervously.

Shinji blinked. "Oh. Okay." He stated, feeling the LCL around him beginning to drain away. _That was…weird._

* * *

Rei was tired. She'd dug an entire meter down, but there was no sign of the Crimson Tear that Gig had spoken of. She put a hand to her dry forehead, feeling very hot all of a sudden. _I cannot give up now. Not matter what, I cannot disappoint the commander._ With that in mind, she steeled herself to continue digging, even as her muscles screamed in protest.

"Pilot Ayanami? …What are you doing?"

She looked up for a moment, seeing a bunch of confused Section Two agents circled around her. "Digging." She panted, striking the shovel's point deeper into the hole.

One of the men stepped forward. He had a brown buzzcut and was slightly taller than the others. "…But, why? You do realize that Unit-00's reactivation test is today, right?"

Rei felt faint, but suppressed that to continue digging. "Yes. I need a Crimson Tear to enter Headquarters. I was told one was buried under this tree." She pointed at the hole, feeling even hotter as the nausea came back full force.

The men looked at their apparent leader, who shrugged helplessly. "Er…No you don't. All you need is your security card." The brunet leader said, feeling even more confused by Rei's answer.

Rei stopped, leaning on the shovel to help keep her upright. "…But I was told I needed a Crimson Tear." She panted, her mouth completely dry. She gave their leader a quizzical stare, confused by his response. Her head was starting to swim, and her vision was blurring.

The men's leader coughed, feeling intensely awkward under the albino's questioning gaze. "Well, I'm sorry, Ms. Ayanami, but whoever told you that lied to you.

Rei dropped the shovel, feeling very woozy. _He lied? But why would he lie to me? Why…_

Further thought on the subject was foreclosed as Rei toppled backwards onto the hot concrete.

She struggled to keep her eyes open as darkness flooded her vision. She heard something about heatstroke before she gave in to the inevitable and lost consciousness.

* * *

_"...So does that mean he's the villain?"_


	5. In Memorial of the Coolest Guy Ever

_**Chapter 5: Divergence.**_

"_Can we leave yet? This place sucks."_

Shinji didn't answer his whining passenger, instead passively watching doctors and nurses file through the sterile white hospital waiting room. While there was a line of chairs to either side of him, every last one of them was empty. There were no newspapers or magazines to read, nor was there a TV of any kind to watch. In fact, there weren't any creature comforts at all, not even a coffee table. It felt strange for a place devoted to saving lives to feel so…cold and uninviting.

"_No, seriously, this place __**sucks.**__"_ Gig tried again. _"It's white and boring and it smells like corn chips and medicated creams."_

Still no answer from the listless boy, who'd shifted his gaze to the shiny ceramic tiled floor. All manner of people marched by in various medical garb, not one of them taking notice of the lone boy.

"…_If you want me to take over your body, say noth-"_

"No." Shinji's soft voice lacked malice, or even frustration. It was just a statement of fact.

"_Damnit!"_

The boy looked around vacantly, never focusing on anything in the room. Not that there was anything worth looking at._ I just hope she's okay…_ He felt horrible for letting Gig nearly kill Rei, and he wanted to apologize…even if it wouldn't mean much.

"_So she almost died. Big deal!" _Gig scoffed. _"It's __**her **__damn fault for believing me. I didn't put that shovel in her hand, and neither did you. If she was so stupid to keep digging until she almost dropped dead, we're not responsible!"_ Gig's entirely logical reasoning was stuffed to the gills with smug self-assurance.

"…if you hadn't told her to do that, she'd be fine right now." Shinji said, trying to sound reproachful and failing, instead sounding like a bored teenager. "In fact, she'd probably be finishing the reactivation test right about now." He wasn't sure on that last part, but he thought it sounded right.

Gig scoffed. _"Feh. If her World Eater…robot…__**thing**__ was anything like yours, it'd probably eat her alive."_

Shinji looked up, for once realizing that Gig was trying to hide something. "…World Eater?" He tried, feeling his curiosity spark at the mention of the unfamiliar term.

"…_It's nothing." _Gig lied._ "You wouldn't understand, anyway." _He spat, falling silent with an offended air.

Shinji sighed in confusion as the familiar feeling of Gig pouting came back in full force. He slumped back into the uncomfortable plastic chair, shaking his head and returning his gaze to the floor. He would've checked the time, but he had no watch and the clock on the wall hadn't budged since he'd come in. He stared at the floor for quite a while as people continued to flow through the room.

"_**Dr's. Stiles, Pierce, Laurie, and Wesker, please report to operating."**_

Gig cracked first. _"Seriously kid, leave!" _He tried to command. _"She's not getting any better and sticking around won't-"_

"Hey you, Er…Mr. Ikari?"

Shinji looked up to see a vaguely uncomfortable young lady in a white nurse's outfit. "…yes?" He answered

The brunette nurse shifted uneasily, her fake smile slipping momentarily. "Er, you can go in now if you'd like. She's stabilized." She said, making it more than apparent she had better things to do than talk to some kid.

"Th-thank you, miss. S-sorry for the trouble." He offered automatically as she turned away from him.

Gig growled in frustration as the nurse hurried away, but remained silent beyond that.

Shinji stood up on legs that felt a bit unsteady, and began to walk with shaky steps towards the open door opposite his seat. Part of him wanted to flee, but the greater part of his guilt forced that down. HFor better or worse, he had to apologize to Rei, but whether that was to make her feel better or assuage his own guilt, even he couldn't tell…

* * *

Rei was tired. Her whole body felt weak and sluggish, pinned under the icy rags that were supposed to treat her hyperthermia. Even the thin soaked sheet that covered her felt like a thick and heavy comforter that kept her pinned to the bed. The only thing she could move was her head, and even that wasn't an easy fight. Not that there was anything in the room to look at. If anything, it was even emptier than most hospital rooms, with no medical instruments, charts, or creature comforts to be seen on or near the faded grey walls. The window on the far wall was too far away to show anything but sky. She didn't even look up when she heard the door open.

Shinji crept inside, shutting the steel door as quietly as he could. He stopped at the foot of the bed, debating whether or not he should just leave. "Um….Ayanami? Are you awake?" He asked quietly, feeling like an intruder in the bare room.

"Yes." Rei's voice was tired and weak, but in the quiet room she was easy enough to hear.

"oh…g-good." It felt so incredibly awkward to even be here in the first place. "I…just wanted to-"

"Look kid." Gig cut him off sharply. "This isn't going to work no matter how you try to slice it. So-"

"Why did you lie?" Rei cut him off, but there was no malice in her tired voice.

"Huh?" For once, both Shinji and Gig were in total sync.

"Why did you lie?" She repeated, her gaze level and trained on Shinji, or rather, the spirit he was currently sharing his body with.

Gig chuckled, relishing another opportunity for mind games. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said, exaggerating every word.

Rei didn't even blink at his response. "…Section Two informed me that a Crimson Tear was not required to enter headquarters." She stated, sounding as flat and lifeless as a British newsreader. "Why did you say it was? Did you wish to delay my arrival?" Rei asked, truly unable to reason out just why he'd told her that.

"Oh _snap!_" Gig mockingly gasped. "The total genius figured it out! And I was so sure I'd covered up all the evidence!" Gig had real trouble keeping up his shocked tone.

Rei didn't know what to make of his strange admission. _He thinks I am a genius?_ "Evidence?" She asked, genuinely confused by Gig's rantings.

Gig dropped the shocked act, feeling his ire build with the confused stare she was giving him. "Seriously, it took you this friggen long to figure out I was screwing with you?" He spat in disgust. "How the hell do you even dress yourself in the morning?"

"I use my arms and legs to do so." Rei was confused by his question. _ Why would he ask if I could dress myself? He saw clear evidence that proved I could do so._

Gig was dumbfounded. "…There's just no way." He said slowly, unable to reconcile his own idea of peons and the girl in front of him. "There's no way you can be this utterly idiotic and still _talk._"

Shinji coughed awkwardly. "A-anyway, Gig, you sh-should apologize to her for earlier."

Gig snorted. "Why? She's probably too stupid to know if I did."

Rei felt something twist in her gut when she heard that. "I would notice if you wished to apologize to me for delaying my arrival at Headquarters." She stated calmly.

Gig stared blankly for a moment, before a venomous grin crept onto his face. "Hah. Okay, fine. I'm So VEEEERRRRYY SOOOOORRRRRYYYY FOR LYYYYIIIIINNNG TO YOOOOOOU. There, I apologized." He finished, grinning as smugly as a prosecutor.

Ayanami blinked, unable to think of an adequate response to his…apology. So, she fell back on what she thought one was supposed to say after being apologized to. "…Thank you."

The grin abruptly fell off Gig's face. "…what." He stated flatly, dumbfounded by Rei's response.

Shinji shook his head, feeling an intensely Japanese need to apologize. "I-I'm sorry, Ayanami. He's a little-"

Gig felt his anger build, not only towards the completely retarded chick in front of him, but also toward the snivelling rat who'd been retching out apologies since they'd met. "…WHAT."

Shinji unwisely ignored Gig's building anger, instead trying to stutter out what he thought was an acceptable apology. "S-sorry, Ayanami. I'm…sorry for what he-"

"SHUT UP!" The angry yell caught both Rei and Shinji by surprise. "God, for once in your life stand up for yourself you spineless little COWARD! I don't care if daddy never loved you, man the hell up! STOP APOLOGIZING FOR EVERY GODDAMN LITTLE THING! WE BOTH KNOW YOU DON'T MEAN IT!" He snarled.

Shinji blanched. "Th-that's-"

Gig laughed maliciously, his voice becoming high and whingeing. "'That's not true!'" His voice dropped back to its normal timbre before continuing. "My ass it isn't! You apologize for every single stupid little thing so everyone won't even glance at you, much less bother talking to you! Then you go hide in your handpicked cell and listen to some long-dead fool's pretentious trash on tape! You're a goddamn embarrassment! To everyone!" He cursed.

Rei felt the same twist in her gut as before, only now it was stronger. "Pilot Ikari is not an embarrassment." She said, her voice firm, but still weak and tired.

This sent Gig into a laughing fit. "Oh? And some retarded doll's supposed to tell me what's embarrassing?" A large and venomous grin snapped onto Shinji's face. "Please! You nearly died from digging a hole! That's what's really embarrassing. Hell, I bet the reason that worthless commander hasn't shown up yet is because he's ashamed of your dumb ass!" He sniggered, enjoying this mocking far too much to stop.

Rei's brow furrowed and her face twisted into a frown. "The commander is not ashamed of me." She said stiffly, feeling something wiggle in her chest at his dark taunts.

She didn't like it.

"HAH! Look at that! We've got a breakthrough!" Gig sneered, realizing at once the source of Rei's ire. "The Commander isn't worthless? Riiight. He doesn't do shit! The babe was the one giving out orders when me and the kid fought the crab monster. Your precious commander just sat up top doing all of nothing cept look 'menacing'. Face it dolly, he isn't worth the paper his title's written on." He giggled. "Actually, thinking about it, you aren't worth it either. You don't even pilot a giant robot."

Rei felt something hot rise up in her chest as her hand grabbed a fistful of bed sheet. "The Commander is not worthless. And neither am I. I am the designated pilot of Unit-00." She wanted to stand up, but her body wouldn't obey her.

Shinji held up his hands as if he could hide behind them. "A-Ayanami, I'm really sorry…" He tried, edging a little closer to the door.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Shinji's hand fell back to his side as he froze halfway between the bed and the door. "LOOK at you! You're already trying to run out the door! What, you think if you're fast enough she won't notice? Maybe that's true, but I know what you're gonna do. You're gonna go hide in a corner and listen to emo music and feel OH SO SOOOORRRRY for yourself. Am I right?" Gig grinned maliciously.

Shinji knew, in his heart of hearts, that Gig was right, but he couldn't admit it. "Th-that's not..."

Gig's grin twisted into a hard line. "Am I Right?"

"I-"

"AM. I. RIGHT?" He growled.

Shinji didn't answer this time.

"Thought so." Gig replied, with a good helping of smug self-satisfaction.

Rei felt the heat in her chest rise hotter and higher, transforming from mere heat into something that felt like a flame. "Stop abusing pilot Ikari." She threatened. "Or the consequences will be severe."

Gig laughed. It was long, loud, and hard, and it fanned the flame that was burning in Rei's chest into a full-fledged inferno. "Okay, okay, sure, dolly. Lets go, kid. We'll leave the useless albino here to heal up. Then maybe she might be worth something. At least more than her complete chump of a commander."

A wet rag smacked against the wall to Shinji's left.

Gig couldn't resist once Shinji had opened the door. "Y'know, if you weren't such a waste of skin, you might've actually impressed me with that." He shot back as they stepped through the door.

It shut with a clang, leaving a newly miserable Rei to her own devices.

* * *

Shinji stepped through the apartment door. It was late, he didn't know either Kensuke or Touji's phone numbers, and Misato had called to tell him that she was going to be stuck in an 'emergency' meeting for the foreseeable future. So he was alone…

…with Gig.

"That was totally worth all that wait time, kid." Gig crowed smugly. "Oh man, I am never going to forget that look on her face when we left! It was friggen classic!" He guffawed heartily.

Shinji stayed silent as he took his shoes off and walked into the dark and empty kitchen. He flicked on a light, watching the darkness vanish under the bright scourge while the emptiness remained.

"But, I guess I can't blame ya." Gig continued, oblivious to his erstwhile host's simmering resentment. "I didn't want to spend any more time around her either. I mean, 'I use my arms and legs to do so'? I thought peons like you needed at least a basic level of smart…ness to live, but I guess she's in a class all her own, right kid?" Gig laughed. "Kid?"

Shinji turned the corner into the hallway. "…I'm going to bed." He didn't trust himself to say more than that. He was tired, and if he vocalized just how disgusted he was with both himself and Gig, he'd never stop.

"Wh-hey!" Gig complained as Shinji opened the door to his room. "I didn't give you permission to go to sleep! I'm still hungry!" He whined loudly.

Shinji laid down to sleep, making a point of not responding to a single thing Gig whined about. A brief thought of self-injury to shut Gig up flitted across his mind, only to be dismissed in moments. _All that would do is just get both him and Misato yelling at me._ He grimaced as he remembered the day's events. _Would it really be so hard for him to be helpful? Or even respectful? It's not like it'd kill him…_

"Are you listening to me?! I want a sandwich!" Gig whined. "Don't you fall asleep on me you little rat!"

Shinji just kept silent and burrowed deeper into his pillow.

"…Friggen layabout!" Gig huffed imperiously, falling silent.

Shinji sighed softly. _And now he's pouting. Again. When it's __**his**__ fault. It's like it really would kill him to be helpful…or at least courteous._ He shut his eyes. _Maybe I'll talk to him about it tomorrow._

Surprisingly, Gig kept silent long enough for Shinji to fall asleep.

* * *

The barest hints of sunlight were poking through Rei's hospital window, landing far away from her bed. Most of the towels and sheets that had covered her yesterday were gone, but a few had been carelessly left next to her on the bed. The rest of the slightly illuminated room was just as bare today as it had been yesterday, but it was enough to wake the albino blunette. She felt much better physically than she had last night, but her mind and heart were another story.

'_She's probably too stupid to know if I did.'_

'_HAH! Look at that! We've got a breakthrough!'_

'_There's no way you can be this utterly idiotic and still talk.'_

'_You nearly died from digging a hole! That's what's really embarrassing!'_

'_Y'know, if you weren't such a waste of skin, you might've actually impressed me with that.'_

She felt the same heat from yesterday flare back up in her chest, and just like yesterday, she didn't know how to stop it or contain it. It burned hotter and spread farther as more and more of Gig's sniggering taunts echoed through her mind, until the flame felt like it was a roaring inferno under every inch of her skin.

Unconsciously, her left hand picked up one of the wet rags still lying on the bed and began to squeeze it.

'_he isn't worth the paper his title's written on.'_

_The commander is not __**useless!**_

She felt the heat in her surge a little more at the distasteful memory. Her hand squeezed harder in response.

'_You're a goddamn embarrassment! To Everyone!'_

_Pilot Ikari is not an __**embarrassment!**_

The heat in her chest roared under her skin, searing the inside of her body as her eyes flared with a dim red light. Then, almost in direct contrast to how it had built up within her, it vanished in an instant. Rei blinked in confusion, feeling both tired and…cold, all of a sudden. She looked down, noticing a rather large amount of water running down and off her stomach. She opened her left hand and watched as the now bone dry rag fell to her side.

_What…was that?_ She'd never felt something so strong before...and it quietly terrified her. In fact, for a moment, a small moment, she'd thought that the flame was going to consume her entirely, and nothing would be left.

It was…a frightening thought, but entirely different than the fear of disappointing the commander…

Rei drew into a small ball, feeling even more miserable and confused than she had yesterday, all because of the being that inhabited Ikari. She felt the disagreeable heat from before, but it was far weaker now. More of an irritant than…_Is that what I am feeling? Irritation? Yes, that sounds right. I am feeling irritation, caused by the…irritant…that calls itself Gig._ She looked at her hands, turning them over under her gaze._ ...I should inform the commander of pilot Ikari's…irritant._

She looked up when the high-pitched whine of the air raid sirens interrupted her thoughts._ An Angel Alarm._ She laid back down as the hospital began to descend.

* * *

The eight sided diamond-like body of the Fifth Angel Ramiel floated towards the center of Tokyo-3, its impassive form a silent witness to the city's quickly vanishing structures. The surface of the unknowable beast mirrored the blue sky above, making it look more like some art major's new age project than a deadly monster bent on humanity's destruction.

In fact, at first glance, one could conclude the Angel had no intention of harming anyone. After all, wouldn't it advertise the fact like the previous angels, who'd displayed deadly spikes and powerful energy whips the moment they'd appeared?

The buildings finished retracting into the ground, leaving the entire area almost completely flat, save for a few buildings that contained weapons and power plugs for the Evangelions. It was actually rather quiet now, since Ramiel's floating form made next to no noise, and the emergency sirens had shut off long ago. This left the area in a strange state of…serenity, in stark contrast to what was going on miles underground.

* * *

…_stay away…from us…Please…_

* * *

"Is the Third Child ready?" Commander Gendo Ikari had already taken his position atop the command structure, looming over the room like a tyrannical king in uniform.

"Yes sir, he's just arrived." Misato replied, standing just below him in what was unofficially thought of as the actual command desk, since Commander Ikari never really said or did anything important. Lots of staff privately wondered why he even showed up in the first place, because the hot lady was much better looking than he was in her red beret, crimson dress jacket, and form-fitting little black dress.

"Third child has reported to the hangars, and is ready to be launched." Called some nerdy technician probably named Makoto Hyuga.

"Everyone, begin plug insertion and prepare for battle!" Misato called, standing proud and tall at her console.

* * *

"_I still want that goddamn sandwich, kid."_

Shinji shut his eyes, trying his hardest to suppress the growl building in his throat as he walked over the empty metal catwalk. He opened his eyes, ready to voice his frustration with his passenger, only for the words to die in his throat as he got a good look at what Unit-01 had…become.

There were still some unfinished spots where the original purple was showing through, but for the most part, Unit-01 had been repainted from head to toe in charcoal black, with deep crimson decorating the edges of the armor plates. It looked much more menacing…but also kind of ridiculous, like it was trying too hard to be impressive now.

Gig was quicker on the verbal draw. _"Ha! I am so friggin awesome!"_ He crowed smugly. _ "Even my screwups convince these peons!"_ He dissolved into peals of laughter.

Shinji just stared at the giant robot, giving particular attention to the red stripe running up the middle of its horn. "I…I can't even believe this…" He ground out, shaking his head and walking towards the plug.

* * *

"Sync ratio at…50%! Evangelion Unit-01 is ready for launch!" Yelled one of the nameless brown haired techs in the command center.

"The target's cleared the lake, and is floating into the downtown area!" Yelled a nameless female technician.

"Launch!" Yelled Captain Katsuragi, purple haired Tactical Operations babe.

The base shook slightly with the launch of Evangelion Unit-01.

"High energy reaction within the target!" Another nameless techs cried, immediately throwing the Tactical Ops captain into action.

"Shinji!" Misato yelled in her best command voice. "Get out of there! You have to-"

* * *

_Why…didn't you run…from us…?_

* * *

Shinji only distantly heard Misato's words as he went up the launch rails. Time seemed to slow once he cleared the end of the catapult and was confronted with a wall of searing, blinding, horribly painful light.

"_**DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD GE!"**_ Both Misato and Gig's voices came through clear as day.

A pity Shinji'd only heard them once it was too late.

"Wait whAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

* * *

"Oh god! Shinji!" Misato cringed a little as she heard the boy's ear-wrenching scream of agony. "Get me a report! Is he alive?" She practically roared the instant his scream faded.

"The pilot's heartbeat is erratic, and his temperature is extremely elevated!" Called out a long haired technician named Shigeru Aoba. Several other techies began listing off meaningless data, contributing to the rising din in the command center. The feed on the wall didn't help with its depiction of a horribly burned and half-melted Unit-01. All the new paint had been blasted off, leaving nothing but blackened metal with a few bits of dark purple showing.

"The pilot's still conscious!" Came a shout from a mousy brunette named Maya Ibuki.

"Shinji, get back down here! Now!" Misato cried forcefully, trying to keep the fear she felt out of her voice and mostly succeeding.

"No…The heat must've fried the transceiver! He can't hear us!" Maya cried out in fearful frustration, triggering a new wave of shouts and general screaming from pretty much everyone aside from the Commander and Sub-Commander.

However, one other person in the room abstained from the general clamour. "…How?" Ritsuko quietly asked, her voice drowned in the general din. "How can he even stand after that kind of attack…with such a low sync score?" She looked down at her monitor, recalling her 'interview' with the recalcitrant child. "Just what is going on with that boy…?" The good doctor shook her head, and turned back to the main screen...just in time to see the crystalline form of Ramiel charge up for another attack.

* * *

Shinji felt_ horrible_. His whole body burned like it had just been plunged into a boiling pool of water, which was actually pretty accurate. Everything hurt, even his eyes and fingernails, in a curiously even sort of way. The pain was everywhere, but he couldn't actually pick out a place where it hurt the most, or the least. He was still standing, but in this state he couldn't do more than that.

Save watch through blurring vision as the giant laser glass pyramid_ thing _charged up for another attack that would most likely kill him.

_Hurts…_

"_Get out of the way stupid!" _Gig roared angrily, his voice incredibly urgent. _"If you go, I go with you! So move your retarded ass!"_

Powerful hatred welled up in Shinji's mind as every last one of Gig's complaints, threats, and disdainful comments came rushing into his mind.

"_Fight back! What are you waiting for!? A friggen invitation?!"_ Gig tried to sound commanding, but it came out as more of a scared shriek instead._ "Listen to me, retard!"_

Shinji felt something deep down in his stomach snap, and he started to laugh. He laughed brokenly, with tears streaming down his cheeks in stinging rivers. A grin started to grow on his face as he laughed, even though it added to the pain he was feeling, he just couldn't stop it.

"_What the hell's wrong with you?! GET MOVING OR WE BOTH DIE!"_ Gig demanded, not even trying to hide the fear in his voice this time.

Shinji laughed harder, wincing as pain spiked through his whole body. "…Then you have to help me, don't you?" He stated, grinning like he'd just told the funniest joke in the world.

"_What?!"_ Gig was legitimately confused by his host's answer. _"The goddamn hell are you talking about?! I don't need you!"_ He tried to sound tough, but the waver at the end just made it pathetically transparent.

Shinji's grin grew wider, and his laughter turned to howls of pained merriment. "…But if I die, _you go down with me!_" He felt drunk. All the pain he was feeling was strangely… distant. He knew it was there, but only in the same way he knew that the moon existed. It was real, but very far away, so it probably wasn't all that important. "So either you can help me for once, or I can just sit here and die!" He sniggered, smiling like a very happy child.

Gig's ghostly eyes went wide as he finally realized Shinji's plan…and how utterly _insane_ it was. _"…You…you…conniving son of a __**bitch!**__"_ He ground out, practically shaking with furious disbelief.

Shinji just grinned like a loon as the point nearest him on the diamond rotated into a firing position.

"_You…You don't have the balls to pull this off! You're just trying to trick me!"_ Gig tried to sound confident, but the fire wasn't there. Much as he wanted to say and believe otherwise, the kid had finally found a way to hold him hostage, with his own damn body to boot!

Ramiel's side glittered…

"_You've goddamn well lost it, you crazy bastard!" _He shrieked.

The crystalline surface glowed…

"_You…You…"_ Gig stammered, struck dumb by Shinji's audacious non-action.

It fired…

"_**FINE! YOU WIN!"**_

* * *

"Blow the explosive bolts! Drop the whole section down and retrieve the pilot!" Misato practically shrieked as she watched the second blast wash over the half-melted body of Evangelion Unit-01.

"We can't! The heat's fused too many of them together!" Came the panicked response that everyone _really _didn't want to hear.

Misato's palm slammed into the desk in front of her. "God dammit!" She swore, feeling both angry and defeated. "Is that it!? We can only watch him die!?"

"Wait! The pilot's vital signs are…are…" Maya trailed off, blinking at the patently impossible data scrolling across her screen. "This is…No, this…can't be right…?" She muttered, staring at her computer screen with her pale hands frozen to her keyboard in dumb shock.

Misato practically dashed over to the poor techie's desk, each footstep accompanied by a forceful thud that echoed throughout the room. "What?! What are you talking about? What can't be right!?" She demanded, both furious and confused.

Maya looked at the furiously confused Captain with eyes full of naked confusion. "The laser…it…didn't do any damage…" She managed to articulate, her young tone warbling with a heavy amount of shock. The mousy brunette lieutenant just couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Then again, neither could anyone else once they saw the newly (and entirely) steel grey Unit-01 dashing forward with its hand outstretched and drawing both a deep gash through Ramiel's crystalline surface and a horrific screech from the Angel.

* * *

Shinji was only distantly aware of the fact that he'd just smashed through Ramiel's AT field like it wasn't even there, not to mention tanking the laser attack that had previously almost killed him in one shot.

No, he was far too distracted by the feeling of absolute _**POWER**_ raging under his skin. It was almost like it had a burning desire to be used, not in any specific way, just to be used to do something. _Is this what Gig feels like all the time? It's…amazing! With this kind of power he could do whatever he wants!_ He quietly exulted in the overpowering strength burning under his skin.

His quiet enjoyment of his new power was interrupted when Gig spoke up. _"Okay kid, you goddamn well won." _He growled, sounding both utterly enraged and defeated at the same time. _"You stared me down, and I gave you my power… but I've just got one request."_

"…Yeah?" Shinji said, still feeling a bit distracted by his shiny new complete invincibility.

"_KILL THE SHIT OUT OF THIS BITCH!"_

A quiet chuckle escaped Shinji as he looked at the stricken form of Ramiel. "…I think I can do that." He agreed, feeling drunk again, but this time on _**POWER.**_

The diamond in front of him rotated with what sounded like a pained groan, presenting a fresh 'weapons corner' to fire at him.

"Oh, this is gonna be_ great!"_ He laughed.

It shined with the light of the sun, and the incredibly destructive beam shot out again, smashing into Evangelion Unit-01 with all the force… of a summer shower.

With a grin that would've scared small children and lesser men, he charged forward through the beam, smashing through Ramiel's side in a full body tackle. The sound of shattering glass echoed in tandem with the Angel's high-pitched, warbling alien screech. Red squares of blood appeared all around the gaping wound as Unit-01 slid to a stop southeast of the damaged diamond.

They watched silently as the stricken diamond floated up off the ground, both pilot and passenger wearing the smuggest of grins as the Angel's body began to unfold into what looked to be a five pointed star.

"_Hey. I've got a suggestion for how we kill this thing. Wanna hear it?"_ Gig laughed maliciously.

"Oh yeah…?" Shinji was grinning too, high on both the feeling of absolute invincibility and the damage he'd done to the angel without even trying.

"_I say we beat it at its own game. Show it what __**real**__ power is."_ Gig grinned evilly, matching Shinji's smile in malice and cruelty. _"I think you get my drift."_

Shinji just laughed. "That's a great idea. How do we do it?" He asked, hearing another pained screech in the background.

Gig chuckled evilly. _"Heheh, Lemme show ya."_

Shinji felt a presence settle onto his body, primarily centered in his shoulders, and he giggled. "…Okay. Let's do it." A little voice in the back of his head raised an alarm, but the feeling of UNLIMITED POWER drowned it out reaaaaal well. _"Alright! Here goes!" _Shinji and Gig said in unison.

Eva-01 mimicked its pilot's thoughts perfectly, throwing both of its arms out to its sides at shoulder height. Two black, churning balls of shadow formed in its hands, crackling with electricity, or at least what looked like electricity.

Ramiel by this time had finished unfolding into a five pointed star, and the center was starting to shine with absolutely _blinding_ radiance. A low, wailing screech filled the air, calling up a primal fear in the people who cowered in the emergency shelters.

_Make it stop…it hurts…_

Gig thought he felt something tug on his soul, but he dismissed it, instead focusing on the moment at hand.

He'd regret that.

"_Now you're finished! __**Final!**__"_

Unit-01 slammed its steel grey arms together, both shadowy balls fusing into a much larger and much less stable orb.

"_**Death!**__" _

Ramiel let out a horrifically loud screech as the center of its star-shaped body shined, and fired an absolutely massive white laser. It was brighter than the sun and held enough power to turn both Tokyo-3 and the Geofront hidden below into nothing but a molten crater.

A pity, then, that it wasn't quicker on the draw.

"_**BUUUUUSSSSSSSSTTTTTTEEEEEEEE EEERRRRRRRRRR!**__" _

With that tandem roar, the unstable orb between Unit-01's outstretched hands erupted into a massive stream of black and red energy. In less than a second, it slammed into the Angel's blast, overpowering it like a freight train slamming into a roadster. Moments after erasing Ramiel's ultimate attack, the roaring blast crashed through the Angel's entire body. The floating star didn't even have time to utter a single screech before every part of its crystalline body was completely obliterated. But the blast didn't stop there. It continued, blasting an almost mile deep trench from Tokyo-3 through the mountains to the northwest, continuing off into the distance and out of sight.

* * *

The command center was silent. Not one person in the entire room dared to even move. Some were simply staring at the screen in mute shock, while others were cowering under their desks in horror.

Fuyutsuki turned to speak to his student/superior, only to find the man's gloved hands flat on his desk with his mouth hanging open in shock.

A part of Fuyutsuki chuckled silently as he turned back to the monitor. _I suppose there are some things that can shock anyone. I wonder what the Committee will make of this?_

* * *

Shinji stared at what he'd just done. The boy was dumbfounded at the mile wide vertical slice that the blast he'd fired had just taken out of the mountains northwest of Tokyo-3. He could honestly see clear through the mountain…for a few moments. Then, with an absolutely thunderous crash, the glowing red mountain interior sloughed in on itself, filling the trench that had momentarily existed with molten orange rock.

"…Amazing…" Shinji breathed. "…You…You really meant it when you said you had power." Shinji felt naked awe fill his whole being as he realized that Gig had meant every last word he'd said in their initial encounter. "See?" He started to giggle stupidly as he imagined doing this to the rest of the Angels. "See what happens when you help out? With your powers the Angels are as good as-!"

"_Oh, shit…!"_

Gig's strained admission stopped Shinji's adulation cold. "…Gig? Are you okay?" He asked with a bit of fear, completely ignorant of the fact that the power he'd felt thrumming under his skin had vanished.

"_D-dammit…I gave you…way too much…"_ Gig cursed weakly, already sounding weaker than he had back at the hospital.

"G-gig?" Now Shinji was really worried. _Oh no…what's happening to him?_

"_Friggen hell…"_

"W-what's wrong?!" He pleaded, feeling a dark terror creeping into his soul. "J-just tell me!"

"_Heh…N-Nothing."_ Gig laughed weakly. _"…I've just gotta…see myself out…catch ya…later…" _His voice faded until it was completely inaudible.

Shinji waited a few moments, hoping against hope it was just a horrible joke. "…Gig?" He finally asked after about a minute.

No answer…and no presence either.

"G-Gig, Th-this isn't f-funny!" Shinji's whole body started to shake. "I-I'm sorry for tricking you like that!" He offered, now really afraid.

Still, no answer.

"…Gig…" He let go of the control yokes, and his hands fell to his sides, where they twitched weakly. Tears began running down his face as the only plausible explanation surfaced. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to believe it. But as much as he might want to think otherwise…

Gig was gone.

* * *

_Power…._

The creature stirred in its undersea cocoon, and it's still developing body stretched.

It had never felt such…incredible power before. Even the memory of its creator's strength paled in comparison to what it had just felt. Its brothers had felt it too, but they were content to hide away until they were ready to confront the Lilim.

It, on the other hand…It would take that power… and it would use it to claim complete victory over the Lilim who held Father in chains beneath the earth.

With that thought in mind, it broke the walls of its cocoon, and began to rise through the dark water surrounding it.

* * *

In the dead of night, a cloud of yellow fog rose up out of the Pacific Ocean, and began rolling towards Tokyo-3.

* * *

"…_I feel kind of bad for him now. Wait! Maybe this is when I show up to fill the void in his heart! Maybe this is like one of those Visual whatevers!"_


	6. Bad Boys

**_Soul Nomad Evangelion 2 _**

**_Bad Boys 1: The Right Men, In The Right Place, At The Wrong Time. (Or, In This Timeline _****_, You're All Bitches)_**

* * *

"_Due to special emergency circumstances, all lines are currently out of service. Thank you._"

The black haired boy hung up the phone. "Come. Just…Come. That's it?" He looked down at his white shirt and black pants as he sighed in frustration. "I can't believe it…wah!?" The boy practically jumped out of his skin when he heard something smack into the pavement next to him. "What the heck was that?!" He cried, looking around for some sign of the loud noise. His gaze swept around the ground near him, finally coming to rest on a…black sword? He squinted quizzically at the blade lying flat on the ground.

The sword was almost as big as he was, and was a deep midnight black from handle to hilt, with the rest of the blade covered by a slightly less dark sheath. Out of curiosity, the boy strolled over and picked it up, almost dropping the deadly weapon once he'd hoisted it up to his chest out of shock at its weight. Looking it over, the teenager spied a strange indentation on the sheath, almost like a button. Instinct told him to press it, and he did.

The sheath slid off the sword like the inside was coated in butter, smacking into the boy's foot like a ten pound weight. The boy winced in pain, dropping the sword in the process. It crashed to the ground hilt first, narrowly missing his other foot. The boy groaned in pain, feeling incredibly stupid now. He looked down at the sword again, noting the sharp edges the thing seemed to possess. He was still looking at the blade part when another thought struck him. It was foolish, and probably illegal, but…no one was around, and besides, he might as well get something out of this stupid trip besides a pre-recorded message.

He picked the sword back up, and pointed it to the sky with both hands, feeling intensely silly.

Just as both the sword's rise and his embarrassment peaked, he heard a bone chilling, gravelly laugh, and everything went dark.

* * *

Shinji awoke with a start, only to find himself floating in a black void. "…What just…?"

"Ahahahahaha! _Finally!_It's good to be back!" Laughed a rough voice. Shinji spun around, scared of who might be here with him.

"Wh-who are you?!" Shinji asked fearfully, staring at the striking young man in front of him. The black pants, shoes, grey vest and green brooch made the man look somewhat normal, but the rest of his attire wiped that impression out. With ashen hair, black bangles on his wrists, two massive metal shoulder pads sticking out like veined wings and a maniacal grin on his pale face, the young man in front of Shinji looked positively terrifying.

The man shrugged, his shoulder pads bouncing slightly. "Me? Oh, just the most hardcore ass-kicker to ever walk the planet, that's all. The destroyer of everything! The commander of the World Eaters! But hell, you can call me 'Gig'."

"World Eaters?" Even through his all-consuming fear, Shinji still had enough brainpower left to be confused.

The young man's ever present grin twisted into a snarl, like he had just tasted something unpleasant. "What? You don't know what the World Eaters are? Man, you're…" The man trailed off, before shutting his eyes. "…Hang on…What the hell?! Where are they?!" The man snarled, the veins on his shoulder pads pulsing a bright purple. "...Geh, so they managed to get themselves killed. Oh well. Just means more fun for me, now that I've got you! Now Gimme your-"

Shinji didn't hear the rest, as an explosion drowned the weirdo's voice out, and he felt a hand grab the back of his neck.

* * *

Shinji woke up in a panic, swinging his gaze around in confusion. He was sitting in some kind of blue sports car, and it was being driven by some purple haired lady wearing a red jacket. And they….they were driving through a tunnel? "Wh-what's going on?" He asked, feeling very confused all of a sudden.

"Oh, you woke up. Good." The woman driving didn't look at him when she answered. "I was kinda concerned you'd hit your head or something."

Shinji looked around, feeling very lost. "Um…where are we? And where are we going?"

"You're in Tokyo-3, and I'm bringing you in to NERV." She stated matter-of-factly.

That name clicked in Shinji's mind. "NERV? That thing my father works for?" He asked, remembering just who had called him here.

"Yeah. You know what he does?" The lady asked in an offhand way.

Shinji shook his head and frowned. "No. My teacher just said it was important."

The lady nodded. "I see. By the way, what's with the sword? You wouldn't let go of it when I dragged you into the car." She asked, only momentarily taking her eyes off the road to look at the big sword sitting in Shinji's lap.

Shinji looked down, noticing his hand was still on the sword. He debated letting go, but that would probably look even more weird to this lady. He looked up and shrugged. "I found it…and I wanted to take it with me?" He said, trying to sound confident as he stared at his shoes.

The look he got from the purple haired woman didn't make him feel like he succeeded.

"_Hey! You! Yeah, You!"_

Shinji looked up. "um…Miss? Did you just say something?" He asked nervously.

"My name is Misato Katsuragi, and no I didn't. Why?" She asked, swerving to enter another dark tunnel.

"_No, not her, kid! Me! The indestructible Gig!" _Yelled an incredibly gravelly and slightly familiar voice.

"Just…thought I heard something. That's all." The boy lied as they flew through a steel gate that crashed shut behind them.

"Well, whatever." The car slid to a stop in what looked kind of like a parking garage, but with more flickering lights and metal walls. "Follow me." The jacketed pair of boobs opened the car door and stepped out onto the tarmac.

"Okay..." He replied slowly, opening his door and getting out to follow the woman.

"_Kid! Are you listening to me!?"_

Shinji followed after the purple haired lady, completely missing the fact that he was still gripping the sword tightly…in one hand. "Wh-what is it?" He said quietly, hoping that the lady wouldn't hear him talking to a voice that apparently only he could hear.

"_Finally!"_ It exclaimed in a mix of relief and desperation. _" I'll cut to the chase real quick. Hand over your body!"_

"W-why?" Shinji asked, feeling slightly creeped out by the strange demand.

"_Because in return I'll give you the power to make the world yours! Sweet deal, right?!" _There was a faintly desperate edge to the voice's offer, but Shinji didn't notice it.

"I don't need it!" He replied, immediately realizing he'd said that in anything but a whisper.

"Don't need what?" The purple haired lady asked as she pressed a nearly invisible button on one of the supports, and it opened to reveal an express elevator. "Get in, kid."

"O-okay. Um…I was thinking about…nothing." He finished lamely, slumping a bit further.

Katsuragi gave him a weird look, but didn't press further.

"_Come on, kid! You could take your revenge on whoever you want! Listen to me!"_

The door closed quickly, and Shinji sighed quietly as the steely grey elevator began to descend.

* * *

"Come on, Misato." Said a blonde lady wearing a labcoat and what looked like a diving suit underneath, striding in front of both the captain and the boy following her.

"Yeah, yeah, Ritz. You didn't need to be waiting in front of the elevator for us." Groaned Misato, shaking her head at the blonde as she followed.

Ritsuko laughed, throwing a quick glance back over her shoulder. "With your sense of direction? I'm surprised you aren't still up on the surface trying to find a way in."

"Shut up." Misato sniffed. "Luckily the kid was near an entrance to the Geofront, so it didn't take long." She groused, lips twisting into a pout.

The blonde smirked as the whole base shook for a moment. "Good, because if you had, you probably would've been caught up in the N2 explosion the JSDF just caused." A dull roar backed her words.

Shinji just followed after the two women quietly, unsure of what was going on or what they were talking about. _ Sometimes I feel like I'm just being led around by the nose…_

"_You know, you could be leading these two around if you just accepted my offer…"_ Reminded a gravelly, and quickly growing tiresome, voice.

Shinji kept silent, instead following the two through room after room as whoever or whatever he was hearing kept offering him untold power if he'd just give up his body.

* * *

It was after two stairwells and one lift that the group of three finally came to an almost cavernous chamber. It was incredibly dark, but there was just enough light by the lift door to showcase how large the room was.

"What is this place? Shinji asked, feeling awed by the immense scale.

Then the doors behind him snapped shut, plunging the room into utter darkness.

"ah! I-I can't see!" He fumbled forward for a bit until he smacked into a railing with his knee. He grabbed hold, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm down.

Then the lights came on.

Shinji almost screamed as he fell over at the sight of a giant purple demon mask. Once his heart had slowed down to a steady jackhammer, he sat up to take another look.

It really did look like a giant demon, but it wasn't a mask. Rather, it was the purple head of a giant metal robot. A horn jutted out from its forehead, and its eyes glowed with a soft, strange light. The rest of it was less weird, looking like a basic humanoid shape covered in metal armour. A tiny voice in the back of Shinji's head said that the armour looked less like armour you'd wear and more like bolted on plates, but it was ignored.

Shinji couldn't think of anything to say, so he picked the obvious. "A…A giant robot?!" He exclaimed in an equal mixture of both awe and fear.

"_Nooooo, really?! I thought it was just a really big paperweight!" _Jabbed the voice in his head.

Ritsuko smirked, walking up next to Shinji as he stood up shakily. "You won't find this in a manual."

Shinji blinked. "A wha?"

Ritsuko sighed at the boy's uncomprehending stare. "This is the Humanoid Fighting Machine EVANGELION, which humanity has finally developed." She stated tiredly.

The boy blinked a few more times at the blonde doctor's strange words and stranger explanation, until it finally clicked. "Wait…so this is what my father was working on?" He breathed, staring at the purple machine in wonder.

"That is correct."

Shinji jumped, turning to see his father standing at the top of the room, behind both Unit-01 and a pane of reinforced glass. "F-father?!" He gasped, surprised at the man's dramatic appearance.

"_Wait…that's your dad? Wow, he looks like…shoot, I've seen that terrible beard and fashion sense combo somewhere…"_

"It's been a while, Shinji." The well-dressed man said, using the same inflection as if he was talking about the weather.

"…_Goddamn it this is gonna drive me nuts!"_

Shinji's free hand clenched hard at his side, a silent testament to the maelstrom of emotions swirling inside of his young body. "…Father, I-"

"Get ready to launch." Gendo cut off his son without preamble, stepping away from the window and back to his desk.

"Wait, what?!" Misato stepped forward. "Unit-00's been frozen, sir! Its…wait…you don't mean to use Unit-01, do you?" She said, shocked at the decision.

Ritsuko shook her head. "We don't have a choice." She stated coolly, her mouth a thin line of frosty practicality.

Misato wasn't willing to give up just yet. "But we don't have a pilot! Rei's still injured, remember?" She stated quickly and vehemently.

Ritsuko's gaze swung over to the sword-wielding and school-uniform wearing teenager close by. "Thankfully, we just had one delivered." She said simply.

The captain opened her mouth, only to shut it as she realized what the blonde meant. "…You can't be serious…" She breathed

Ritsuko turned to Shinji, missing or not caring about the sword that still lay clasped in his hand. "Shinji Ikari, you will pilot." She ordered coolly.

Misato shot the doctor a disbelieving look. "But he has no training! We can't just send him out and expect him to win!" She protested weakly. "Besides, Rei took almost seven months to sync with Unit-00!"

Ritsuko gave the captain a reassuring look and shrugged. "All he has to do is sit in the seat." Her gaze flicked towards Unit-01 for a brief second before snapping back to the captain. "We can't ask for more than that."

Misato saw the logic in Ritsuko's words, but a part of her couldn't let it go this easily. "but…he…" She stammered, trying to come up with a logical counterargument and finding nothing but emotional outbursts.

The blonde glared at the Captain. "Misato, we have to stop the Angel or everyone dies. To do that, we have to put someone in Unit-01's cockpit. Even if his chances of syncing with it are non-existent, we have to try anyway." She crossed her arms and waited, shooting occasional glances towards the commander.

Shinji chose this moment to voice the emotions building inside him. "F-Father, what's going on?" He asked, hoping he sounded as confused as he felt.

If Gendo cared that the boy sounded like a lost puppy, he didn't show it. "Exactly what you think is going on." He stated matter-of-factly, not even deigning to meet the boy's eyes.

Shinji looked down at his shoes. "…That's why you called me? To get into this robot and fight for you?" He asked, his question sounding more like a statement than a query.

"Yes."

Shinji felt a brief flare of petulant anger well up inside him at the cold answer. "But, why now?! Why not months ago, or years!?" He cried, trying to glare at a distant figure he could barely see.

"_What is the deal with all this father-son crap you've got going on? He doesn't give a shit about you, obviously, so why should you give a shit about him?"_

"I called you now because you are needed now." Gendo's response was cold and clinical.

Shinji's hand clenched harder, his nails digging into his palm. "But, I've never done this before in my life!" He protested weakly, starting to feel like nothing he said was going to make a difference. "I don't know the first thing about it!"

"Then listen to the explanations you'll be given." Came the chilly response.

Shinji felt his whole body start to shake as he realized the enormity of the task set before him. "But…I can't! There's no way I can do this!" He protested, feeling embarrassed at the disapproving glances everyone in the room was giving him. He shifted a bit on the catwalk, hearing his footfalls echo around the cavernous room.

"…If you won't stop wasting my time, then leave!" Gendo's response could almost be mistaken for disappointment, if it wasn't so chilly.

"_Yeah! Either man up or get the hell out, kid!"_

Mostof the maintenance men hurriedly left the cage at this point. Once the general shuffle quieted down, things resumed as normal.

Ritsuko stepped away from the boy as Misato strode closer. "Get in." Both women commanded, presenting a united front to the teen.

Shinji felt embarrassed, but a part of him wasn't going to give in so easily. "But…It's ridiculous! I can't just get in with no training and win! It's insane!" He argued weakly, looking around for at least some kind of support.

Misato sighed, putting on her best 'encouraging' voice. "Then why did you come all this way? Don't run away, not from it, not from your father, and not from yourself." She said, her 'encouraging' voice coming out as more of a reproachful demand.

Shinji shook a bit more as he mulled over her statement. "But…I…." He tried to say something, anything, but nothing would come.

Gendo stood up, striding around his desk and back to the window that separated him from the Cage. "Fuyutsuki, wake up Rei. The spare is useless."

* * *

"_The Spare is useless." _Those four words echoed deep, deep, deep down into Shinji's soul, filling every bit of him with raging anger and dark loathing directed squarely at his father. It was something Shinji had never felt before, and it manifested as a pressing desire to just reach out and choke the life out of the man who had called him here. Fortunately, the boy's feelings would fade, because he knew, deep down in the darkest corners of his heart, that he could never have the power to make that idea a reality…

"_**Come on, kid! You could take your revenge on whoever you want!"**_

_I could….take revenge…on whoever I want…?_

_Thinking about it…that sounds…_

_Pretty nice…._

_Yeah…In fact…that sounds like a great idea…_

* * *

Gendo kept his face carefully blank as he watched the dark expressions on Shinji's face. "She'll at least be better than this useless boy." He stated louder than necessary, keeping any disappointment he might've felt towards his son off his face as he turned away from the glass.

"...Useless, huh? Sure you aren't talking about yourself?"

His eyes snapped wide open, along with everyone else in both rooms when they heard the incredibly loud and rough voice. "Who's there?!" Gendo looked around, confused as to where the voice was coming from.

"Huh? Oh holy shit, my voice is coming through clear as day!" The voice sounded both exultant and surprised at the realization. "Man, whatever you just said must've _really_ pissed the kid off! Speaking of the kid…"

"Who are you?!" Gendo demanded, feeling both surprised and angry at the strange voice. He was surprised because he'd never heard a voice quite like this one before, and he was angry because of the fact that it was talking down to him so blatantly. SEELE talked down to him, but they at least tried to cloak it in big words and ridiculous beliefs. This voice, on the other hand, made him feel like he was being mocked by a street thug!

"Oh, I'm the totally indestructible Gig! I live inside the kid here!" The gruff and malicious voice guffawed joyously. "Oh, Fun Fact! I can see everything he's thinking right now. Wanna know what's _really_ on his mind?" The voice asked, sounding both ominous and joyous.

Gendo's face contorted in a rare show of confusion. "What?!" He demanded, feeling a rare spring of anger well up inside him. _Why was I not told of this earlier!?_

Shinji's head lifted up, revealing a grin that could scatter wildlife and small children. "It's something along the lines of 'Who gives a shit about the world, _you_ need to just DIE!'"

* * *

Every single person in both rooms would never forget the next few moments. Right after that angry proclamation, the boy jumped, literally_ jumped_, straight up onto Unit-01's head. The moment he landed, the teenager dashed forward, bounding off the giant robot in a physics defying leap aimed straight at the window to the command chamber. Mere seconds later, the boy crashed through the glass barrier, burying the black sword he held in the commander's chest and sending both father and son to the floor in a shower of blood.

Most professed later that, at that very moment his son had smashed through the window, Gendo Ikari's face had held a look of Absolute Terror.

* * *

"C-commander!" cried the fearful technicians as they watched him fall to the floor.

The boy yanked the sword out of the commander and stalked forward, enjoying the look of fear on the technicians faces as they all ran for the back of the room. "Ha…I…I did it! He's dead!" Shinji giggled stupidly, feeling adrenaline rush through his veins as he recalled the look of terror on his father's face. "Useless, am I? Heheh…Not as useless as you are now, Father!" He laughed, feeling the combat high start to dwindle. "You're the useless one now! Cause you're…you're…d-dead…" His steps began to slow as the enormity of what he'd just done began to sink in.

Fortunately his realization was interrupted by the door to the command center slamming open. In less than five seconds several dozen well-dressed men had piled into the room. All of them were brandishing guns; Some had shotguns, one or two had assault rifles, and the rest had pistols or SMG's.

"Take him down, now!" Barked an older, balding man in shades.

At that command, they all started firing, spraying hot lead nearly everywhere as the room filled with an enormously loud din.

As it would turn out later, that was the single worst thing they could've done.

* * *

Shinji immediately ducked behind the computer desk as bullets flew all around him. He felt his heart speed right back up, as the familiar rush of adrenaline came roaring back, drowning all his second thoughts in a lovely haze of red.

One of the suits tried to jump over the desk to shoot him, so Shinji stabbed him in the head. Then other slipped around the other side, and Shinji hacked his arm off. His arms felt weird after that, so he ducked back down behind the desk

"Y'know, its gonna be a huge pain to take on all these losers like this." Gig commented blandly as the men in the back of the room paused the barrage to reload.

"Then why don't you help out?" Shinji asked blankly, now crouching by the other side of the desk, ignorant of both the blood on his arms and the bullet holes in them.

"Hey, I already gave you a bit, and now you're asking for more? Sheesh, how greedy." Gig chuckled happily at what seemed like a private joke. "But fine, I'll give you as much as you want. You remember the deal, right?" He asked simply.

"What deal?" Shinji asked quietly, the adrenaline in him making the question sound more like a statement.

Gig snorted. "The more of my power you use, the sooner your soul disappears." The words were simple and easy to understand, if you cared about what they meant. "You okay with that?" He sniggered evilly after asking the question.

It didn't take Shinji long to give him an answer. "Do I look like I care?" He stated, sounding dull and uncaring.

Gig laughed at the boy's deadpan response. "Good answer! Alright then…HERE WE GOOOO!" He roared happily.

Shinji felt strength beyond anything he'd ever known flood through him. Before, when he'd leapt up to kill his bastard of a father, he'd felt he could take on everyone in NERV, maybe even everyone in the city. But now…Now he felt like he could make the whole wide world his _bitch._

"Now you shouldn't have any problems with these lil' maggots. Nyehehehahaha!" Gig laughed happily as his now grey haired and glowing blue-eyed host leapt over the computer desk and into the crowd of security guards.

* * *

Gig whistled. "Daaaaayum, kid. That was one hell of a show!"

Shinji wiped the blood on his hands off on the wall. It wasn't his, and besides, it's not like anyone would notice an extra smeared handprint with all the other blood on the wall. "So, how powerful am I?" He asked, stepping over one of the now very dead security goons.

Gig made a thoughtful hum. "…Pretty strong actually. Hell, you could probably take on that monster stomping around upstairs." He offered blankly.

Shinji shrugged. That sounded like a pretty good idea. After all, that thing was the reason he'd been dragged here in the first place. "Then let's go do that." He said, stepping through the warped and dented metal doors into the relatively clean hallway.

"Oh, you're fun! I _like_ you!" Gig laughed, swinging their left arm up and blasting a black and red laser through the ceiling. Shinji looked up once the noise stopped, noticing what looked like a tiny point of sunlight at the top. "Express elevator, going up!" Once Gig's unfunny joke was finished, Shinji jumped straight through the newly created hole, passing all the floors he'd been through earlier as he followed it all the way up to the surface. Once he broke out into the lovely sunlit air, he noticed the masked form of the Third Angel, or whatever it was really called, trying to blast a hole in the ground with some kind of laser.

He landed on the concrete roof of one of the few intact buildings, and just watched the short beaked monster blast away fruitlessly for a few moments with a detached eye.

Gig spoke first. "Okay, we ready to kill a bitch?" He asked rhetorically.

Shinji's hand tightened on the grip of the sword. "Sure."

With that meaningful declaration, the first battle of Tokyo-3 was joined by Shinji Ikari.

* * *

Sachiel was not having a good day. It had heard Father's call first, and as such, had awakened first. It had walked up from the ocean floor, surfacing very close to where Father's strange cries were coming from. Then it had been shot at by a bunch of metal things piloted by smaller things. It had stepped over them, or blew them away on instinct. Then there were a bunch more, but flying this time. It had done the same thing, swatting one or two out of the sky and melting the rest with its lasers, until suddenly they ran away. Then pain had blossomed throughout its mind as half of its gangly body suddenly melted off. Luckily, it had suffered no permanent damage, as the core in its chest was unharmed, but the search for Father had been delayed significantly by its need to heal.

Now it was walking around a strange place. Father's cries were coming from directly below, but every time it tried to blast a hole through the ground to get to him, it just hit something dense. It could blast through the obstruction given time, but in Sachiel's opinion, every second counted.

Then something small and blunt had smashed into its upper back, sending it to the ground in a shriek of pain.

It threw itself back onto its feet in but a moment, already charging its laser to attack, only to feel something small smash straight through its masked head. Sachiel fell to the ground once again, but on its back this time.

Then it felt its body being lifted up and thrown by the same tiny thing. Sachiel flew through the air, smashing into the side of one of the remaining buildings.

Then, as it tried to sit up to fight back, it felt something pointy drive into its core. Sachiel roared in anger, trying to smack whatever it was off with its bony spike arms. It charged its laser to blast the danger away, only to feel every part of its body go fuzzy as it heard an ominous crack. The Third Angel panicked, its arms starting to spasm wildly as the cracking sound got louder, and louder, until…

* * *

Thus ended the worst day of the Third Angel's life, which was also the only day of its life.

* * *

"Holy hell…" Kensuke breathed, looking around the shelter quickly. "I think that thing's dead…" He looked around at the various people cowering around him. The explosions and distant rumbles had only just stopped, but everyone wasn't going to chance leaving the shelter just yet.

There were young kids around, and a few adults, and one or two old people, but they were all doing the same thing. Some were cowering in groups in the corners or by the walls, while others just hid under desks or tables. Kensuke himself was leaning next to the door, all alone.

"But if I can get out quick…" He grinned at the prospect of getting _actual video footage _of the monster that had attacked, as Explosions, plus Military Evacuations, plus Actual Shelters, could only equal one thing: A GIANT MONSTER ATTACK! Thus emboldened by his flawless logic, he straightened up and dashed for the exit, unnoticed by those cowering in the room.

* * *

Shinji leaned back against the concrete wall as the Angel's corpse finally finished sliding into the wreckage of the ruined apartment complex. The thing was actually pretty funny looking, now that it was dead and he had time to think about it.

"Wow. That thing went down like a total bitch!" Gig guffawed. "You were right! We totally could take this Thiii-!" His chuckles cut off into a bit of a surprised shriek as the wall behind them gave way, breaking into pieces as it fell into the street.

They caught themselves easily, jumping off one of the falling pieces to get back into the room. Gig opened his mouth to swear at the building's shoddy construction, only to shut it when they heard a pained scream.

"Eh? The hell was that?" Gig asked, his anger vanishing under a wave of confusion. "I thought this place was like, abandoned."

Shinji turned around silently, and jumped down to the concrete street, curious to the source of the scream. He looked around for a bit, spying a pile of metal and concrete lying in the middle of the street. "Huh. I guess somebody was…"

"My legs! They're broken!" Cried a voice that sounded like some brown haired nerd currently pinned underneath a steel girder he'd leaned against moments ago. "S-somebody, Help!"

Shinji circled around to the other side of the pile, confirming the owner of the voice and his suspicions of what the owner was like. The boy was wearing glasses, and was wearing a torn white shirt. The rest of him disappeared under a red steel girder.

"Woah, holy shit! He's actually alive!" Gig chuckled, sounding honestly surprised at that fact.

Without even thinking about it, Shinji put a hand under the girder that pinned the dishwater blond teenager, and flipped the giant chunk of red metal off him. The nerd's legs were indeed broken, his dark blue pants stained with blood everywhere. "Yup. Legs, definitely more than broken…Shit, his bones are paste!" Gig chuckled, gawking in honest surprise at the sight as the girder crashed to the ground half a block away.

"H-how did you do that…?" Kensuke asked, tears still streaming down his face from the pain of his crushed legs. "…A-and why is your voice so strange?"

Gig made a thoughtful noise as they looked at the pathetic boy in front of them. "Hey…thinking about it…Wanna dominate him?" He asked plainly.

Shinji tilted his head, feeling strangely detached from the scene in front of him. "Dominate? That means…?" He asked, sounding blander than he probably meant to.

"Well, basically, we'll turn this guy into a minion, so he'll do what we want." Gig shrugged nonchalantly. "That's it."

Shinji pursed his lips. "So if I dominate him…he'll work for me?"

"Y-yeah! " Kensuke cut in desperately, his near- sobs desperate and full of pain. "D-dominate, control, enslave, m-make me lick your boots I don't care! Just, save me! I don't wanna die!" He pled pitifully, raising a hand as if to tug at his benefactor's heartstrings.

"…Hmmm." Gig sounded extremely hesitant. "Well, if you really want to take him, just say dominate and his name." He paused for a moment. "…You get how it works, right? Cause I'm not in the mood to explain it again, especially for…questionable recruits." He coughed meaningfully in Aida's direction.

Shinji shrugged, locking eyes with the brown haired nerd in front of him. "Sure. I dominate…" He trailed off, furrowing his brow. "…what's your name?" He asked.

"K-Kensuke A-Aida!" He sobbed, nearly kissing the ground in his haste to plead. "S-save me, please!" He begged, sounding more pitiful with every syllable.

Shinji narrowed his gaze, and shrugged again. "Okay. I dominate…Kensuke Aida."

There was a flash of light that blinded both Shinji and Kensuke. When his vision finally cleared up, he noticed he was holding a stiff cloth doll that wore glasses and held a video camera. He stared at it for a bit, then shrugged, stuffing it in his pocket.

When he looked up, Kensuke was already standing. His face looked both utterly shocked, and yet immensely pleased by his completely healed legs.

Gig coughed. "Welp, now that he's been dominated, we can summon him whenever and wherever we want." He narrowed his gaze at Kensuke. "…Even though he's pretty much worthless."

Kensuke's head snapped up and around, searching the street around him for the strange voice. "Who-who's there?!" He cried fearfully.

"OH! I'm the totally indestructible Gig!" Gig sniggered at the uncomprehending gaze the nerd was giving him/Shinji. "I'm inside the kid here." He clarified after a few moments. "Oh, and I'm your master now, so you better do what I say." He grinned malevolently. "Unless you liked having broken bones."

Ken practically backed up twenty feet at that threat. "N-no master, I'll-I'll obey." He desperately pled, hoping against hope that the weird voice believed him.

Gig gave him a good long look before snorting in derision. "…Alright. We're going back to that house over there. The one with the pyramid. You know where it is?" He sighed at the confused look the nerd gave him. "Go that way, then over there, then down there, then through there, then take a right. Got it?"

"…Y-yes Master!" Kensuke lied, nodding so hard it felt like his head was going to fall off.

Gig glared at the pasty nerd. "I better be able to eat off the floor there when I get back, got it?!" He snarled, secretly grinning at the fun of screwing with people. He'd missed that.

Kensuke paled as his imagination ran wild. "Y-yes sir!" He cried, running off as fast as his terrified legs could move.

Shinji watched the nerd disappear around the corner, feeling a different kind of strange than he had when he'd taken revenge on his father. He decided to follow the nerd out of curiosity, but the whole world seemed to fuzz when he took a step forward. His entire body suddenly felt heavy and sluggish, and he swayed on his feet. "…I feel…tired." Shinji groaned, fighting hard to keep his eyes open.

"Oh? Aw, is my soulmate feelin a bit bushed? Don't worry about the body kid, go ahead and take a nap. In fact, sleep as long as you want. I'll take care of_ everything._"

The last thing Shinji heard was Gig's malicious laughter before the black void of unconsciousness claimed him.

"_Oh yeah, stuff like this was in that book too. Should be a nice change of pace, I guess."_


	7. This Space for Rent

**_Chapter 6: Aftermath_ **

_I feel bad for the girl. _The brown haired nurse shook her head as she looked at the sleeping child behind the window. _So much to live for, only to have it all taken away because of a freak accident. Crushed legs…I wouldn't wish those on anyone…_ The brunette shook her head, turning to the doctor next to her. He was an older, sunglasses wearing blond in a black turtleneck, a pair of blue dress pants, a white labcoat, and a pair of black leather boots. The hallway both medical professionals were standing in was bare, with white concrete walls the only thing to see besides the smooth yellow tiled floor and occasional door.

"So, Dr. Albert, is there anything we can do for the poor gir- er, patient?" She said quickly, covering her slipup. _Even under orders, its hard to treat them as just…faceless numbers._

The man shook his head and sighed. "Well Nurse Tenda, I've come up with an experimental new procedure, but…" He trailed off, looking back at the door to the girl's room.

The nurse looked down. "…But?" She asked, unsure if she actually wanted to hear his answer. The word 'but' never meant anything good in the medical field.

He looked around for a few moments before his shoulders slumped. "It's a rather risky procedure." He sighed, his face bleak. "…We have to isolate the girl for it to work properly." He admitted, unable to think of a way to make locking a child in solitary confinement sound better.

"Is that really necessary?" The nurse shook her head. _Locking up a child for her own good…_

The old doctor nodded. "Yes. The drugs involved in the procedure will suppress her immune system, so she'll have to be put in protective isolation." He looked back at the door to the girl's room. "If we don't, the girl runs an incredibly high risk of dying from nearly any infection."

"Right." The nurse looked down at her clipboard, noting the name of the girl. "I don't think the girl's family will like this…" She sighed stiffly, the image of a certain overprotective tracksuited jock crossing her mind. "Especially her brother."

The doctor shook his head and shrugged. "It's only for a week at most." He put a hand on the white concrete wall and sighed. "As long as her family doesn't try to barge into the room to see her, or something equally stupid, I'm sure the girl will be fine." He straightened, and shook his head. "Explain the idea to her."

The nurse blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, you. I've got another meeting to attend, so you explain it to the girl." He produced a clipboard from inside his coat, shoving it into the surprised nurse's hands with some speed. "Now then, I have to go." He said, turning and walking down the hall with blatantly suspicious speed.

Nurse Tenda looked down at the clipboard in her hands. _One of the perks of authority…shove all the jobs you don't want to do on others…_ She sighed, steeling herself for a very depressing start to her day as she pushed the patient's door open. "Ms. Kana Suzuhara? I have something to discuss with you…"

* * *

Rocky slopes surrounded the cargo ship and its convoy on both sides, lending a dangerous air to the area even though they were half a kilometer away from the ship at the waterline. The higher sections of the slopes still steamed in a few places, and tiny parts would crumble at random moments.

However, the redhead standing on said boat didn't care about that. She cared about the fact that she was currently _freezing. _ "It's c-cold out here!" She whined exaggeratedly, trying to wrap her arms around the unshaven black haired man next to her.

Said man easily slid out of her searching grasp, nearly sending her unbalanced form to the deck. "What did you expect? We are in Russia after all." He smiled roguishly as her flailing hand caught the railing and held fast. "Sundresses aren't normally winter wear, you know." He chided the redhead.

The girl picked herself up, smoothing out the yellow sundress she was wearing and making sure her red hairclips were still on. "I was told I was going to Japan! You know, where it's hot! How was I supposed to know I needed to take a sweater?!" She pouted, pointing at the man's beige coat in mock betrayal. "You could've at least told me, Mr. Kaji."

The man laughed jovially, sticking both hands in his pants pockets. "Come on, Asuka, it's always better to discover things for yourself." He grinned roguishly at the young girl.

Asuka scoffed, turning away from the unshaven man in a huff. "I was told we were taking a train to Vladivostok, not sailing down some strait I've never heard of!"

Kaji shrugged noncommittally. "It's called the Strait of Grommile, but I can't blame you for not knowing. This place _is_ only a few days old." He chuckled quietly. "Taking the train was the plan, at least until this happened." He swept his arm out, indicating the rocky slopes around them.

Asuka looked down for a moment. "Well, why couldn't we? Doesn't Russia have a railway or something?" She asked, her fair face frowning in confusion.

Kaji looked out towards the rocky slopes, sighing softly. "Well, it did. Unfortunately for us, something in Tokyo-3 blasted a trench through from the China Sea to the Arctic a few days ago. It wiped out the railway and nearly all the highways. So, this was the only way that even came close to our planned travel time. It's working name is the strait of Grommile." The unshaven man shrugged. "Not sure why, but I don't pay much attention to nomenclature."

Asuka just scoffed and walked back into the ship, leaving the scruffy man alone with his thoughts, and his plans.

* * *

"It seems we have some very important events to discuss, Ikari."

Gendo didn't even look up from his desk when he heard the electronic voice come out of nowhere. Neither did he blink when his office darkened until everything inside was blacker than his own heart. The council had started so many meetings with him like this that actually telling him when a meeting would occur would be more disconcerting. "So I hear. What may I do for the fine gentlemen of this committee?" He intoned cordially, leaning back a bit in his chair as twelve numbered monoliths appeared around him.

"Do not patronize us, Ikari." The soft, elderly British tone of SEELE 12 was unmistakable. The man was very articulate, yet filled with quite a bit of anger. "You know exactly what we seek the answers to."

Gendo tented his hands in front of his face. "I appreciate the fact that this Committee thinks so highly of my abilities, but I must follow proper protocol." He glanced at each monolith, keeping his tone calm and cordial as he heard several quiet groans of frustration. After all, ninety percent of every council meeting was about insulting everyone present without actually insulting them. "What is it you want to ask me?"

There was a moment of silence before the next fossil spoke up. "Very well Ikari." SEELE 04 answered, his rough voice overpowering the electronic distortion quite handily. "The answer we seek lies in what occurred in the last Angel Battle."

SEELE 08 took over at this point, her voice old and frosty. "The actions of your son are, frankly, inexplicable by any of our researchers. So, if you do not mind, commander Ikari, could you explain how your son managed _this!?"_ She was practically yelling by the last word.

His monolith disappeared, replaced with a grainy video of the Fifth Angel's complete disintegration. The video was short, lasting barely ten seconds and ending on a still frame of the black energy blast that Unit-01 had produced.

"Well, Ikari?" She asked haughtily, her voice back to its normal icy timbre.

Gendo kept all emotion off his face as he briefly imagined shooting the old ball of lard behind that smug question. "Unfortunately, I do not have any more information than the video this council has just shown provides... Though I am curious as to why I have never seen this particular angle of the battle." The well-dressed commander lied coolly, internally smirking at the quiet coughs and murmurs that suddenly afflicted half the council. "I am looking into the situation with all haste, but I can't provide miracles on demand." He stated cordially.

"A frank admission of failure is not good enough for this council, Ikari!" SEELE 08 practically screamed, sounding more like a frothing lunatic than the powerful politician he supposedly was. "Not only did your son produce an AT Field that surpassed even that shown in ADAM's awakening in Antarctica, he then used an attack that not only completely annihilated valuable Angelic Material, but also blasted a new shipping lane clear through Eurasia to Russia's Kara Sea! 'All Haste' is_ not good enough!_"

The room stayed silent for an uncomfortably long time after SEELE 08's outburst finished.

"While the rest of this council is more…patient than our Brazilian member…" SEELE 06 coughed awkwardly. "…we do share his sentiments. Such power could very easily overturn everything the Scenario promises humanity."

"I can promise nothing, as the Committee has made it abundantly clear I am to make due with fewer resources, if I recall the events of the last meeting correctly." Gendo replied coolly.

The electronic distortion couldn't hide the sigh that preceded SEELE 01's reply. "In that case, Commander, we will be moving the Second Child to Tokyo-3 immediately, to serve as insurance should you fail to find a method to control your unstable pilot. Pilot Ikari must be taken off the combat roster until you can determine if his little stunt is repeatable, and if it can be controlled."

Gendo nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the limp-wristed attempt to frighten him. Then again, what could he expect from a group whose average age was over seventy? "Very well, Chairman. More resources are always appreciated."

SEELE 11 growled impotently. "…We await good news from you, Commander." Unfortunately the electronic distortion made him sound less 'threatening' and more like 'a recalcitrant child who'd been let loose in a recording studio'. "Do not keep us waiting."

One by one, the numbered monoliths faded away, until only SEELE 01's remained.

The old man behind the numbers coughed weakly. "Remember, Ikari, you are on thin ice. We must make use of all our resources if we are to see the Scenario through." With that final, echoing remark, NERV's commander was left alone in his gloomy office.

Gendo brought the video back up, setting it to loop and staring at it. "That goes for the both of us…"

* * *

Rei Ayanami felt strange as she walked down a dark, bland hall that led towards an elevator. In fact, she'd been feeling strange ever since she'd gotten out of the infirmary. She knew that beyond the elevator was the Commander's office. There, she'd tell him just what was going on with the Third Child, and then she'd ask about the strange feelings in her body.

She rounded the corner, only to crash headlong into someone. She put a hand on the wall almost instantly, keeping her from falling. The other person was not so lucky, and he fell to the floor in a heap.

"S-sorry! I'm really sorry!" He was apologizing before he'd even stood back up.

"Ikari? Why are you here?" She asked blankly, slightly surprised that he was here. She felt her surprise turn to…irritation as she realized just who would be with the Third Child.

Shinji managed to stop snivelling long enough to look up. "A-Ayanami?" He asked, his meaningless apologies momentarily halted by questions.

Rei opened her mouth to speak, intending to get this over with as quickly as possible. "Pilot Ikari…" She trailed off, realizing almost immediately what was missing, or rather, who. "…Where is your passenger?" she asked, confused as to his sudden absence. Everywhere she'd seen the Third Child, that shadow had accompanied him without fail. For him to be suddenly missing meant that either he'd become much more intent on avoiding detection, which didn't really fit with Ikari's behaviour, or he truly was absent.

The boy stared at her in shock for a moment, before a look of raw guilt washed over his face. "I…He…I think he's… gone." He admitted, his voice low and depressed as he stared at his shoes.

Rei's eyebrows rose at this new piece of information. "Gone?" She queried, her curiosity roused by his answer.

"He…He helped me against Ramiel." The boy clarified, sounding even more depressed than before.

Rei thought about this new tidbit for a moment. "So, the immensely powerful AT Field detected during the battle was his doing?" She asked, curious if her conclusion was correct. _I should inform the commander of this when I get the chance._

Shinji drew in on himself just a little bit more. "…Yeah. At least…I think so." He agreed quietly, looking straight down at his black shoes like they held the answer to everything. "But…after…" he muttered.

Rei's head tilted sideways just a tiny bit. "After?"

Shinji shook a bit, refusing to meet the bluenette's gaze. "He…said he gave me too much…and then…h-he…" He abruptly stopped, only to start hiccupping moments later.

Rei looked at her miserably hiccupping teammate, and she started to feel strange again. "Pilot Ikari, are you…alright?" She asked slowly, unsure of what to say to the boy in front of her.

Shinji's hiccups just got worse once he heard her question. "…B-because I…if I hadn't…It's my fault h-he…d-died…I…I killed him!"

Rei stared quizzically at the miserably hiccupping boy for a moment, feeling a strange sensation of coldness winding through her stomach all of a sudden. "…It is not your fault." She stated.

Shinji looked up, watery eyes staring at her in disbelief. "B-but I…" he questioned weakly, hiccupping a little less this time.

"You did not know that his aid would lead to his…death, correct?" She asked matter-of-factly.

Shinji's gaze swung back to his shoes and he shook again. "Y-yes…but…" Now he sounded like he was about to start sobbing. "I-I-"

"Then you are not guilty of anything." Rei cut him off calmly.

"H-Huh?" he looked up again, his hiccups halted this time thanks to the albino's strangely simple statement.

Rei blinked. "You have committed no crime, Ikari. Murder requires both intent and method. You had no intent to kill him, so you are not guilty of his death." She intoned evenly, like a tutor talking to a particularly slow child.

"Wuh?" He choked, torn between his feelings of guilt and a pressing desire to give up his single-player blame game.

Rei took his confused sigh as a request for further explanation. "His production of an abnormally strong AT field was his doing, not yours. If that action led directly to his…death, then the method that resulted in his end was his doing." Rei paused for breath, conveniently missing the incredulous look Shinji was giving her. "In that instance, you are merely a witness, and you are blameless."

Shinji just stared at her, blinking intermittently as a tiny, tiny grin started to work across his face.

"His death was accidental, so you are innocent." She finished, staring expectantly at him.

Shinji started to giggle stupidly. "…You…Y-you're just…just…."

Rei's brow furrowed. "Ikari?" She intoned, confused by his strange reaction. _Why is he laughing?_

He suddenly straightened, and looked at the girl with a misty glow in his eyes. "Ayanami…Thank you." Without another word, he stepped forward and hugged the girl.

Rei stiffened at the unexpected contact. She felt warm suddenly, like the feeling back in the hospital. No, not like the hospital. That feeling had felt like her body was about to burn up. This was…agreeably warm, like a warm bath or shower. _Confusing. _

Shinji felt a smile creep onto his face as he hugged the strange girl. "I...feel a little better." This smile lasted until he realized just where he was, what he was doing, and most importantly, _who_ he was doing it to.

The boy let go of the albino like she was a live grenade, apologies already starting to tumble out of his mouth. "W-What am I doing?! S-sorry Ayanami! I didn't mean to, I mean, I should've asked f-for, I-I mean…" He stammered quickly, red-faced and incredibly embarrassed.

Rei was conflicted. On the one hand it had been a violation of her personal space, but on the other, she felt even stranger now that it was over._ I need…more data to make a decision._ "I would not mind if you had continued." She stated openly.

Shinji's apologies stopped dead at her admission. "Huh?" He eloquently stated, staring at the girl with a disbelieving gaze.

Rei looked him in the eye with a gaze that would qualify as curious on anyone else. On her, however, it was just weird. "I stated that I would not mind if you had continued." She motioned towards herself with a hand. "Would you do that again?" She commanded without really commanding.

Shinji felt very confused and embarrassed, but even though he just wanted to run away and hide, he caved under the albino's steady gaze. "o-oh…okay." He gave in and hugged her, wrapping shaky arms around the girl with an incredible blush on his face. "L-Like this?" He asked quietly.

Rei felt the warmth from before return, but now it felt like there was velvet, or a similar kind of soft material on her skin wherever his arms touched her. _Strange. His arms are not made of velvet, so why do I feel this way?_

They stayed like this for a few moments before Shinji broke both the silence and the awkward hug. "Ummmm…So…uh… Ishouldprobablygetgoingbye!" With that eloquently rapid statement, he dashed off in the direction Rei had come, face redder than a tomato in season.

Rei watched him sprint away, feeling very confused. "Ikari? …He is gone." Rei turned back to continue on to the commander's office when a thought struck her. _…If his irritant has disappeared, there is little point in informing the Commander of an already solved problem. I should just go back for now. _The albino nodded to her own internal logic, turning around once again and heading for an elevator to take her back to the surface.

* * *

The Katsuragi apartment was quiet for once. The TV was off, the beer fridge unused, and the light switch was untouched. The nominal owner of the apartment was out drinking with 'friends', leaving her ward free to ruminate on the events of the past week without any distractions.

"He's gone…I still can't believe it…" Shinji lay in his bed like a lump, staring up at the dark ceiling as thoughts raced through his head. Even if Gig had been…well, he really _had_ been a big jerk, it wasn't like he should've died for it. But he had, and Shinji just couldn't put it out of his mind. The memory of the immense _**POWER**_ running under his skin when he'd 'fought' Ramiel was hard to just file away. _He must've felt like that all the time when he had his own body… I guess I'd act like Gig too, if I could do pretty much anything and no-one could stop me._ He glanced towards the clock at the foot of his bed, idly noting that it was 8:54 pm.

Shinji rolled over on the bed, coming face to face with his bookcase, and the little doll standing on top of it. _…Hey, that's that doll of Toji that Gig…somehow made. _He stared at it for a bit, idly wondering if that 'Dominion' thing he'd been sputtering about really had been true, and not just another lie._ What did he say about it?_

"_**You can call him out and make him take a beating for you anytime, anywhere!"**_

Shinji put a hand to his forehead as the ringing laugh slowly faded back into memory. _Wait, how does 'calling' the person work anyway? He never really explained. _Now feeling curious, he got up from the bed and crossed to the bookshelf, shaking his head at how silly he was being to do this_._ He took the little doll off the top of the bookshelf, and sat back down on his bed.

He turned it over in his hands, still somewhat surprised at how accurate the thing was. Though it looked like it was made of ragged cloth, it was actually quite stiff and well-articulated, capable of simulating practically any human pose. Beyond the material and the button eyes, it was practically a perfect copy of Touji when he was wearing his tracksuit. Shinji shook his head, refocusing on the 'summoning' bit Gig talked about. "It's probably something dumb, like 'I call forth Toji Suzuhara', or 'I summon the young boy named Touji Suzuhara.' He stated with a sarcastic edge, putting on a dramatic air for the 'summoning phrases' as he waved the doll around.

After a moment, Shinji looked around the still-empty room and shrugged, feeling intensely silly. "Then again, with his personality, it was probably more like "'Hey Jock! Get over here!'"

A bright flash immediately blinded the boy. He instinctually pressed up against the wall on the other side of his bed, slapping a hand over his eyes. Once he stopped seeing spots, he took his hand away, only to be confronted with the sight of a highly confused, tracksuit wearing jock.

"W-what the hell's going on?!"

"T-Touji?!" The boy practically shrieked in surprise. _How did THAT work?!_

Touji practically jumped when he heard that voice, recognition battling with confusion on his face once he saw who else was with him. "Shin-man? What the hell are you doing in my house?" The jock asked quickly, his unease intensifying as he looked around the unfamiliar room.

The Third Child blinked at that response. "H-huh? I'm in my room…" He stated, looking around the room to confirm that he wasn't lying about his familiar-yet-not-really surroundings.

Toji didn't hear his response, instead abruptly focusing on what he was wearing, or rather, wasn't. "Why am I in the tracksuit? …I…I was getting ready for bed!"

Shinji looked down at his hands, only to abruptly realize that the doll was missing. He hurriedly looked around, only to find everything EXCEPT the doll in its proper place. "N-no way…" He breathed,

"What? What is it, man?" Toji asked quickly, not liking the tone in his friend's voice.

"I…think I know what brought you here." Shinji admitted softly.

Toji felt unease creep up his spine. "…What?" He asked hesitantly.

"Remember that thing from a few days ago? When I did that weird thing and the doll popped up?"

The jock felt his creeping unease turn to cold dread. "…Yeah?"

"Um…I can't find the doll anymore, and, well…You're here, so…" Shinji stated awkwardly, feeling very nervous the moment he finished.

"…Are you saying I'm the doll or something?" Toji thought his friend's explanation over for all of ten seconds before giving his opinion. "That's…the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

Shinji inched back on his bed. "W-well… m-maybe you and the d-doll…switched places?" He offered weakly.

Touji mulled over this explanation for a few moments before shaking his head. "…If that's true, why am I in my tracksuit instead of my jammies?" He put a fist to his temple and sighed. "None of this makes any sense!"

Shinji thought for a bit, coming back to the explanation that was probably the most accurate, but also sounded the craziest. "Umm…Maybe…Well…" He began, unsure of how to word this without sounding like he was completely crazy.

"Well what?"

"Umm…Gig said…" He noticed Touji's slightly uncomprehending stare and clarified. "Th-the voice from before." A wave of realization swept over the jock's face, and he nodded. "Well, he said I could 'call' you anytime, so maybe that's what the doll is for? Whatever it's wearing when I summon you, it's what you wear when you get here."

Touji squinted as his brain ground into its quite rusty second gear. Given everything else he knew about the situation, it did make a kind of sense…if you were crazy. "That's the dumbest-"

"I'm home!"

"Oh hey, that's Misato, right?" The jock asked on pure instinct.

There was a moment of silence before the response came. "…Shinji? Who was that?" That wasn't Misato's playful tone. That was Captain Katsuragi's tone. The _dangerous_ one.

The Third Child paled as Toji took a step back from the door. He did not want to explain that magic, or whatever the hell Gig actually did, was _real_. _O-oh no! What do I do what do I do What do I DO!? Maybe I can hide in the-Wait! That's it!_

"H-Hide in the closet!" He barked quickly, his frantic nerves more than evident as he leapt off the bed.

Toji just looked at him like he was crazy. "That won't work!" He protested.

"J-Just do it!" Shinji cried, practically shoving the tracksuit-wearing jock into the cramped closet and shutting the door. He dashed back to his bed, sat down, and tried to compose himself. _Okay, all I need to do is tell her that I was doing…umm…impressions! Y-yeah, th-that'll totally-_

The door opened.

…_not work._

Standing in the doorway was either a very cross-looking Misato, or one that was trying not to grin. Honestly, Shinji was too frazzled at this point to tell the difference.

"H-Hello Misato!" He chirped, already sweating bullets. "Y-you're back early!"

"I said I'd be back by nine. I'm only a minute early." Misato said calmly, giving her ward the best 'disapproving guardian' stare she had…which was unfortunately pretty much the same one she used on underlings when they gravely displeased her. "It shouldn't be a problem, right?" She watched him nod like a bobblehead doll. "…Unless of course you invited someone over without telling me?"

The boy audibly swallowed, looking as stricken as a drowning man who'd just been thrown an anchor. "N-no…uhh….w-why do you ask?" He tried to force a smile, but his lips wouldn't obey.

Misato looked at him with amusement in her eyes, trying very hard to keep a grin off her face. "Weeeellll, it's just that I heard something about a closet and hiding. You know what that's about?" She asked, fighting to keep the chuckles out of her voice.

Shinji's composure, tenuous and brittle as it was, pretty much shattered at this point. He froze up completely, letting out a few nervous chuckles that couldn't have screamed 'guilty' any louder.

Misato's frown of suspicion finally gave out, morphing into a knowing grin thanks to his virtual confession. She turned to the closet and gave it a good look. Sure enough, there was a tiny flash of light in the crack between the closet doors. She shook her head good-naturedly and marched towards them, trying not to chuckle. "Look, I'm not going to be mad if you had a girl over, you just had to tell-" She spoke while opening the doors, only to trail off as she was confronted with only a whole lot of lame shirts and pants. " ...me…?" She looked over to Shinji, her knowing grin now a genuinely confused frown.

Her ward practically leapt off the bed in response to her confused look, wearing a grin as brittle as glass. "S-See? Nothing!" He chirped, his voice nearly cracking in half. "I was just doing impressions!"

Misato alternated between staring at him and staring at the closet for a good long while. Eventually, she just shook her head and walked out, muttering about teenagers and psych evaluations.

Shinji watched her shut the door, giving it a couple of seconds before he let out a sigh of relief. He looked back towards the closet, only to immediately realize that he had no clue what had happened to Toji. He felt panic rise in his chest as he looked around the room. He was almost about to confess what had really happened to Misato, only to spy the doll sitting right on top of the bookshelf. Just like before this all happened. Safe and sound.

He heard his cellphone begin to ring, and he answered it without really thinking. "H-hello?"

"_Shin-man? That you?"_

_It's Toji. _"Y-yeah." He answered, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"_What the hell just happened!?" _His friend demanded harshly, clearly trying to stay quiet with how growly he sounded. _"I was stuck in a closet like a second ago, but now I'm suddenly back in my house, in my jammies. What th' hell did you do?"_

Shinji felt a fresh wave of helplessness crash over him at the question. "…I don't know." He answered honestly.

"_You don't?! How c- aw hell Dad's back. Look, I'll talk to you about this tomorrow!"_

Shinji dropped the phone on his bed once his friend hung up. He picked up his SDAT player-

"_**Then you go hide in your handpicked cell and listen to some long-dead fool's pretentious trash on tape! You're a goddamn embarrassment! To everyone!"**_

-Only to drop it back onto the shelf almost immediately. He lay down on his bed, feeling even more worthless than usual. _If…if only he'd told me a little more…_

With that thought, the boy closed his eyes, silently wishing that he wasn't in the dark for once. He was asleep in a few minutes, his pathetic wish still echoing through his mind.

Maybe tomorrow would be better.

* * *

Shinji awoke with a start, only to find himself on his feet in a dark, dusty hall. He looked down at himself, absently noting that he was dressed in his school uniform this time instead of his sleeping clothes.

He looked around to get his bearings, only to abruptly realize that this wasn't the same place as the last dream, so getting his bearings would be completely useless. Still, he might as well examine the place while he could.

It was a grand throne room straight out of some western fantasy novel…after it had been pillaged twice and left alone for a hundred years. Both the grand double doors and the walls were embroidered with gold and precious gems, but they were dull and dirty, like they'd been left unwashed for years. Standards and banners hung everywhere, but each was tattered and worn, with some damaged practically beyond recognition. The floor was made of something shiny and dark, like marble, but it was dusty and cracked in dozens of places, at least, when it wasn't covered by a threadbare carpet. The columns in the hall were dark as night and comparatively undamaged, but somehow, they seemed just as beat up as the rest of the place.

"How could _this_ happen?!" There was a pained groan from the center of the hall, and Shinji turned to see who it was. The voice was equal parts pained, confused, and angered. Even though the Third Child couldn't see much past the cloaked figure in front of him, he didn't need to see anything to recognize this voice. "Layna the Firebrand…You're _not __**human!**_"

Shinji couldn't help but keep quiet and watch the scene in spellbound interest. From what he could tell, Gig was in an argument with some old white-haired lady wearing a red dress under a purple cloak. _What's going on here? Who's Layna? …Do I know a Layna? … I don't think I do..._

His thoughts were interrupted by another yell. "I-I just killed you! How the _hell_ are you still alive!?" Gig spat, a pained groan following his question. "H-how many souls do you have?!"

The old woman bowed her head, chuckling without a hint of mirth. "Hmph. Well, in a way, I'm not." The voice was surprisingly flippant for being so ancient.

For once, Gig's statement perfectly matched Shinji's thoughts on the situation. "What the shit does that mean?!" He growled, clearly mystified by her words.

The old woman looked back up, her white ponytail bobbing slightly. "The soul of the human Layna departed this world when you clashed with her." She paused for a moment, letting her statement sink in. "Call it an unfortunate draw, if you wish." She shrugged.

Gig's pale face contorted from an angry snarl into a frown of confusion. "Unfortunate? What the hell are you on about now!?" The sound of something wet hitting the floor followed his question. "…Th-That's not good."

After that, the room was silent for a good few moments, the only sound that of his pained breaths before the woman deigned to respond. "…Gig, do you recognize the name Virtuous, or Vigilance?" She asked quickly, a hint of hope in her voice as she took a step towards him.

The bloodied young man shrank back from her ever so slightly, only to catch himself and step forward, wincing as he did. "H-Hell n-no." He tried to scoff defiantly, but the waver in his voice just made him sound weak.

There was another short silence before he spoke up again. "…Sh-Should I?" He questioned, sounding unsure to Shinji's ears for the first time in possibly forever.

The woman lowered her head for a moment. "Gig, you-"

A coughing fit from Gig cut her off. "Look, if you're gonna kill me, just do it already!" He raged weakly, any curiosity towards the names he'd just heard buried under a fresh spike of anger spawned from shame.

The woman regarded him intently for a few moments, before shaking her head and sighing. "I'm not going to kill you." She declared, raising her right hand as a purple and gold half-moon staff set with a large sapphire appeared in it. With a flash of light, a great sword that was black as midnight and almost as large as she was appeared, floating between the two of them and pointing to the sky. "I'm going to seal you away. And you'll sleep until your time comes." With those words, a shimmering glyph appeared under Gig's broken form, and an ethereal blue aura began to pulse from his bloodied body. With a flash of light and a burst of black miasma, the old woman's staff vanished, and the Master of Death disappeared into the great dark blade. It pulsed for a few moments with the same soft light that Gig had, only to vanish when Layna put her hand down.

Shinji, watching this whole scene in the silence, couldn't help but voice his thoughts now that it was over. "Wait, if that's the sword he's sealed in, then…this must be when he lost his body." He said thoughtfully.

The figure abruptly whirled around, revealing a woman who looked just as ancient as she sounded. Deep wrinkles crisscrossed all over her pale, mottled face. Strangely, the woman's eyes were sharp and clear, as if they had come from a twenty something instead of someone who should be one foot in the grave."…What are you doing here!?" She exclaimed, her wrinkled face contorting in shock…or was it fear?

Shinji opened his mouth to speak, confused as to why this dream/memory was yelling at him. "I-"

However, the woman wouldn't be having any of his excuses. "You can't be here without him!" She yelled, looking about the room with frantic glances, as if looking for a danger only she could see. "It'll be disastrous!" The old woman continued, her gaze now locked on the Third Child's uncomprehending face as she stepped towards him.

"I-" He began, feeling quite afraid as the old woman stopped less than two feet in front of him.

She put a hand on his shoulder and looked directly into his eyes, her bright brown gaze full of worry. _**"Leave! **__**Now!**__**"**_

With that, she gave him a hard shove, and the Third Child fell backwards into darkness.

* * *

"Gah!"

With that eloquent statement, Shinji catapulted up into a sitting position. His heart was hammering in his chest, he was sweating bullets, and he was panting like he'd just run a mile. He swung his gaze around, confirming that yes, he was in his bed, in Misato's apartment. He started to calm down as that fact sunk in, putting a hand to his forehead as his breathing slowly began to normalize. He was in bed, not in some weird crumbling medieval ruin with an old lady yelling at him for trespassing or something. Speaking of…

"…Did…Did I just get kicked out of my own dream?"

* * *

Shinji slumped back a bit into his slightly vibrating seat. It wasn't comfortable, but you couldn't expect much from military accommodations. Then again, that fact was fine with the Third Child, because he knew better than to expect much of anything in his life. He was too understanding to expect a military helicopter to be quiet.

He glanced up at the back of the seat in front of him, which had a mop of purple hair trailing down the back of it. "Misato?" He asked loudly, seized by a sudden burst of curiosity.

Misato's head swiveled around before slowly sliding out from behind the seat. "Yeeeees?" she asked, grinning like a cat who'd just got the cream.

He blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed by her expectant gaze. "Um…you never told me….where are we going?" He said quietly, feeling like he'd just placed himself under a microscope.

Misato blinked for a moment. "Oh, that!" She stated, sounding like she'd just remembered the fact she hadn't told him anything. "We're going to meet the new pilot, of course!" The captain explained easily, pleasantly ignoring the fact that she hadn't actually answered the boy's question.

Shinji decided to continue this line of questioning, his curiosity not yet exhausted. "Wait, there's another pilot? I thought it was just me and Ayanami." He stated, feeling kind of confused at her answer. _If there's another pilot, why weren't they in Tokyo-3 before me?_

Misato nodded at his question. "Yup! It's been so long since I last saw her, too!" She stated quickly, her hand pointing first at Shinji then herself, or his head and her boobs, if you wanted to be specific. "So it'll be a surprise for both of us!"

He didn't like how happy she looked after saying that. "I guess…" He muttered, trying to sound like something other than 'depressed' but failing quite badly at it.

Misato frowned at the sullen note in her ward's voice. "Hey, what're you so down for?" She asked, trying to sound motherly. "You should smile! Greet your teammate with a nice grin!" She told him, turning back to the front of the helicopter and closing her eyes.

Shinji looked down at his shoes as he heard his guardian start humming. "…I'll try." He said, his dismal tone thankfully concealed this time by the helicopter's droning engine.

* * *

"In other news, the JSSDF's new Jet Alone project malfunctioned today at its grand unveiling, sending attending officials into a panic before its automated shutdown procedures initiated. JSSDF officials apologized profusely for the incident, and have promised an investigation into the machine's sudden malfunction. Some pundits have jumped on the issue, blaming NERV for the malfunction. They cite the fact that NERV's head of technology, or 'Section 1' Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, was there at the time. NERV flatly denies such allegations, stating that 'in a war for our future, they have no reason to deny humankind any advantage.' This has been member supported, Public Radio."

Hikari sighed, sitting down at her kitchen table and pulling out some homework. "Dang old public radio. I never got my tote bag." She mused bitterly, missing the yellow fog that rolled past her kitchen window.

* * *

"So, this is the ship?" Shinji asked, looking around the boat as he got out of the helicopter. To his left was a tower-looking structure that seemed important, and to his right were a bunch of planes he couldn't name with flags he probably should be able to name. All around him was steel decking, and a bunch of sailors milling around.

"Yup!" Misato said cheerfully, looking around for someone. "I wonder where she is?" The captain straightened up, looking back at her recalcitrant ward. "Hey, what's wrong? I thought I told you to smile!" She tried, grinning ear-to-ear to ostensibly set an example. "See?" The captain relaxed, folding her arms and looking at him with an expectant gaze.

Shinji just shrank back a little and stared at his shoes.

Misato sighed as a sudden breeze ruffled her jacket. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you." She shook her head and turned back around. "I mean, you really need to brighten up-OH! There she is!" With that, the purple-haired captain took off across the deck at lightning speed, Shinji reluctantly following after her.

For all the disrespect Misato gave her body, she could actually move dang fast when she wanted to. After a few seconds of actual running, Shinji came to a stop beside Misato, panting just a bit as he did.

"Ah, right on time!" Misato didn't even turn to look at him before she clapped him on the back, nearly sending him face-first into the deck. "Well Asuka, this is the Third Child, Shinji Ikari! Shinji, this is the Second Child, Asuka Langley Soryu!" She announced cheerily, sweeping her left hand back and forth between them.

Shinji, who'd only just managed to stop himself from kissing the deck, finally looked up. Staring back at him was a redheaded Caucasian teenager with blue eyes and a pensive expression on her face. She was wearing a yellow sundress, a red pair of sandals, and a pair of crimson A-10 neural clips, like what he usually wore while piloting. It was actually kind of surprising to see someone wearing them outside of a plugsuit, because he'd found them uncomfortable to wear.

That, and Gig had likened them to cat ears. "Um…h-hello…" He sheepishly stated, staring at his shoes in embarrassment.

The girl looked him over for a few more moments in silence. Then her studious expression turned into a scornful frown . "Hm. Not much to look at." She said with a German accent and a condescending sense of superiority.

_God, that condescending tone sounds just like_ _Gig…_ Shinji looked up, feeling an urge to make sure Gig really wasn't here, only to be confronted with absolute silence from the two women. The unfortunate Third Child abruptly realized that he'd been thinking out loud once he caught sight of the confused look on Misato's face and the affronted countenance of the redhead.

"Who's Gig?" Both asked, one voice confused and the other sounding rather displeased.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt a distinct urge to run screaming off into the distance. "Umm….a friend?" He tried hopefully, only to be rewarded with complete silence from both of the women.

Asuka gave him a hard look as Misato just stood there in silence. "So, why did you confuse me with your…'friend'?" The redhead questioned, crossing her arms and scowling.

Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Umm…your voice reminded me of him just then, so…that's why." He said hopefully, holding his hands up in sheepish embarrassment.

The redhead gave him a flat stare for a few moments. "…Did you just say I sound like a guy?" She asked dangerously, making both Misato and Shinji take an automatic step back.

The Third Child waved his arms frantically, as if through sheer effort alone he could blow away the storm clouds gathering over the redhead. "N-no! It's just…y-your tone kind of reminded me of how he used to talk, and…" He trailed off awkwardly, silently realizing that nothing he could say would get him out of this.

Asuka opened her mouth to shout the insufficiently apologetic Third Child off the boat, only to be cut off when the door opened and let out a voice that put a smile on her face and the fear of God on Misato's.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" The male voice dripped confidence, wit, and suave appeal.

Misato slapped a hand over her face and groaned. "…Oh god, not-"

"Mr. Kajiii!" Asuka sprang forward, hugging whoever was hidden behind the door.

"Hey, Asuka." The voice chuckled affectionately. A man walked forward, turning to face both Shinji and Misato as he cleared the door, with Asuka's arms still firmly wrapped around his waist. The stubble on his face made him look like he'd forgotten to shave, his red tie hung lopsided on his blue shirt, and the beige coat he was wearing looked like it had seen better days. "So, you're the pilot I've heard so much about." The ponytailed brunet said easily, radiating a sort of indifferent confidence.

Shinji blinked. "I am?" He questioned, suddenly feeling suspicious of this strange man.

He ruffled the redhead's hair next to him, drawing a dreamy sigh from the girl. "Yeah, you're actually quite famous in my line of work. The attack you used against the Fifth Angel made this new channel." He shook his head, grinning roguishly. "Mind if I ask that next time you don't go quite so overboard?" He chuckled slightly.

Asuka blanched, disengaging from Kaji in order to properly convey her shock. "WHAT?! I never heard about that!" She roared, her firey gaze snapping onto the hapless Third Child. "Hey! You!" She cried angrily, stomping towards the boy with a snarl on her face. Her hand lashed out, grabbing hold of the poor boy's arm in a microsecond. "You're coming with me right now!" The redhead ordered forcefully, turning on her heel and dragging his weakly protesting body down the ship.

Misato watched the redhead drag the poor boy off, giving him a small wave when his terrorized gaze met hers.

"Well at least they're talking to each other."

The captain nodded sagely and closed her eyes, only for them to immediately snap back open once she realized just _who_ had said that. "Yeah, too bad they're talking about how she'll kill him." She huffed, trying hard to manufacture a fresh batch of anger to use against the unshaven man. "Maybe she'll use some rope and chain."

The unshaven man grinned sloppily, allowing Misato to realize how she'd just stepped into a trap before capitalizing on it. "You know, if _that's_ what you wanted, all you had to do was ask."

The resulting slap rang out loud and clear across the deck, leaving the surrounding sailors with an unfortunate memory they wouldn't soon forget.

* * *

"I just wanted to ask him how the hell he did all that, but noooo, he has to disappear for the whole day cause he's off to go see a _ship._"

Toji rubbed his irritated eyes as he stomped down the sidewalk, squinting in an attempt to see through the dense fog all around him. Since Shinji had left the city way too early in the morning for some stupid reason, he hadn't been able to grill him on what had happened last night. School itself had been just as boring as every other day he'd gone, with standouts such as Kensuke babbling on about some dumb military gun that shot positronic lasers or something, and the inimitable class rep staring at him for half the day and then snapping at him when he asked what was up. So now, feeling quite displeased, he was going to visit his sister to at least try to get something good out of the day. As he trudged down the street though, that sentiment was forgotten in favour of railing on his absent friend. _Seriously, who the hell leaves for a ship at six in the morning? I was barely awake when he told me about it and-_

He was jarred out of his thoughts when he walked into a signpost. "Dammit! Stupid sign!" He cursed, catching himself as he recoiled away from it. He stepped around it, shaking his head before looking around with a glare on his face. "What's with all this damn fog anyway? And since when is it yellow?" He coughed, feeling frustrated as he stomped down the street. _Nobody better get in my way, otherwise I'll-wait a sec…_

He stopped at the crosswalk, swinging his gaze around the intersection and only being greeted with more oppressive fog. _Man, I can barely see through this stuff!_ The jock straightened up, suddenly realizing that the street around him, (at least the part he could see) was pretty much empty. _What's going on anyway? It's like there's some kinda-_

His thoughts were interrupted when an air raid siren began to sound, its high-pitched whine echoing throughout the city.

Toji, while slightly dense, knew exactly what it was thanks to experience. "Wait…That's…an Angel Alarm!" He exclaimed, feeling a touch of fear creep up his spine. He shut his eyes, his fear turning to dread as his brain spooled up._ Wait, if that's an Angel alarm, then that means…_

His eyes snapped wide open once his brain connected the dots. "Sis!" He cried in fear, trembling slightly as terrible scenarios of danger and harm starring his bedridden little sister raced through his head. _I-I gotta make sure she's safe!_

With that incredibly important thought in mind, Toji took off at a burning pace towards the hospital, the whine of the sirens nothing but a distant annoyance as he ran.

* * *

"Here we are!" The redhead announced confidently, finally letting go of the Third Child's arm, if only to gesture towards the innards of the cavernous steel room. She turned back to him, expecting a proper look of awe, only to be confronted by the back of his head. She growled, annoyed that the Third Child was once again staring over his shoulder like some paranoid security guard. "Would you stop doing that!" She yelled, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "For the fifth and last time, _no one is following us!_"

The boy started, his shoulders immediately slumping in embarrassment. "S-sorry." He mumbled, turning back to face her. Once he did, the redhead gestured for him to start looking around the room. On closer inspection, the teen noticed that the place was actually really empty, except for the huge beige tarp covered mass in the middle of it.

_That's it? We got dragged out here for a __**tarp?**_

"Wh-what is it? What'd you drag me all the way out here for?" Shinji crossed his arms, feeling quite unimpressed by the huge beige mass in front of him. "Is the tarp special or something?"

"Only a rookie like you could think a_ tarp_ was important. " The redhead chuckled, yanking up an unsecured section of the tarp to reveal a red hunk of gleaming metal underneath. "See! This is my Evangelion! Feast your eyes upon the greatness that is the first production model, Unit-02!" Asuka swept her other hand over the rest of the tarp-covered machine imperiously, listening to fanfare only she could hear.

_Right. You're so amazing you needed all the bugs ironed out before you'd come help. Oh yeah, that's the mark of a __**real**__ elite._

Shinji blinked, looking between the expectant girl and the hunk of metal under the tarp. "Um, why is the fact it's a production model important?" He questioned, feeling less than impressed by the thing. "Mine seems to work fine." The boy shrugged, looking back at the door they'd come through.

"W-Well, you could only sync with yours cause it's an unfinished prototype." Asuka huffed imperiously as Shinji turned back around to look at her. "Mine, on the other hand, won't let just anyone pilot it." She gave him an expectant look, only to sigh dramatically once she caught the uncomprehending expression on his face. "It's because, since my Unit-02 is the well-designed combat production model, it's built for me and me alone!" The redhead grinned confidently, striking a double V for Victory pose in front of the machine as her sundress fluttered dramatically.

The boy just stared at the ridiculous scene in front of him. Between the girl's pose, the giant beige tarp behind her, and the pose the girl had struck, completely at a loss as to what to say to…_this_.

Asuka glared at him, affronted by his gobsmacked expression. "W-Well, What do you think?!" She prompted, waving her hand in a tiny circle.

"Ummm…" He fumbled, trying to think of something to say about either the redhead or her also red robot.

_Red? Geez, this brat's as unoriginal as they come._

Shinji nodded sagely. "Couldn't you have picked a more original colour? Red's kind of cliché." He said without thinking.

"Well I-" Asuka froze mid-sentence as she realized what he'd actually said. "W-W-W-What did you say?!" She stammered angrily, astounded at the sheer balls this boy had to insult her Unit-02 over something so trivial! "R-Red's an amazing colour! How dare you besmirch my Unit-02's honour!" She practically frothed, her outraged blush as bright red as her hair.

"Geez, fine! Calm down!" He said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender, hoping to placate the advancing girl. " I didn't me-Gwah!" The boy slipped, falling on his back as the ship shook under his feet. "Since when do ships have earthquakes!?" He cried in confusion.

The girl did little better at keeping her balance, but at least she managed to stay on her feet. "They don't, stupid! That was an undersea shockwave! And it was really close, too!" She declared confidently, once she'd stopped wobbling. "Let's go!" She grabbed his hand, dragging him after her as she raced outside.

Both teens managed to get outside just in time to see a massive grey creature burst out of the water. It arced gracefully overhead, narrowly missing the deck of the boat before diving back into the water on the other side of the boat. The resulting wave nearly tossed Shinji overboard.

"What was that thing? An Angel?" Asuka breathed, though whether it was in awe or anticipation was anyone's guess.

Shinji shook his head quickly. "W-we should talk to Misato, maybe she could-"

Asuka held up a hand. "I've got a better idea. Come on." She said forcefully, grabbing his hand for the third time today and dragging him back inside.

_Oh boy. First time alone with a girl and it's __**this**__ kind of chick. _

_Great._

* * *

"Prepare for battle! Get the first child down here immediately!" Makoto yelled, silently cursing the fact that Misato wasn't here yet. Honestly, he shouldn't have been the one doing this, but with Misato gone, he was the one in the command room with the highest rank, so it fell to him to handle tac ops duty. "Where's Captain Katsuragi?" He asked quickly, fervently hoping that the woman in question would stride through the doors any second now.

Complicating matters was the fact that a very cross Dr. Akagi was there too, leaning against a wall.

Maya audibly gulped whenever the doctor's gaze landed on her. "…She left to go meet the Second Child this morning." The poor technician shrank back into her chair as Ritsuko's piercing eyes bored into her from across the room. "And… she uh, took the Third Child along with her…" She added quickly, fighting to keep her voice from cracking.

Makoto put a hand to his temple, trying to recall what he'd been taught during training about tac-ops. "Alright now…We…" The nerdy technician-cum-acting commander trailed off as he realized that the command room had become deathly quiet all of a sudden. "…Why did the alarm just shut off?" He asked slowly, confusion creeping up his spine as he looked around the room.

As before, it was the unfortunate Maya who had to speak for the technicians. "…We're…not reading a pattern anymore." The mousy technician squeaked, her voice filled with both fear and confusion. "It just…vanished a second ago."

"…But it was all over the city." Ritsuko pointed out evenly, pushing off the wall she'd been leaning against as her face twisted into a soft frown. "How in the world could it just disappear?" She questioned, walking towards Maya's terminal to get a better look.

Maya put her hands up defensively as the bottle blonde advanced on her. "I don't know!" She cried weakly, practically jumping out of her chair as the doctor took a look at the data. "See? The MAGI are coming up clean."

"So, you're saying it was just a computer glitch?" Ritsuko questioned, somehow managing to sound both sarcastic and sincere. "Well?" She turned from the computer to Maya, apparently oblivious to the poor woman's discomfort as she pressed her for information.

Maya gulped, practically backing up against the wall at this point to put more space between her and the blonde doctor. "Well, um, it was only for maybe a minute at most, and, well, there's no blue pattern anymore, so…." She trailed off helplessly, looking around the room for support.

Thankfully, Makoto stepped up to the plate. "…Get the First Child down here anyway." He called to the room at large. "Even if it's just a glitch, it can't hurt to play it safe. By the way, someone see about getting into contact with Captain Katsuragi."

The bottle blonde looked Maya over for a good long moment before stepping back. "I'll initiate a systems check to see whether or not this was a bug." She stated stiffly, leaving the room in what almost seemed like a huff.

Makoto sighed weakly, his shoulders slumping as he relaxed. The acting commander silently resolved to give Captain Katsuragi a very strongly worded complaint…letter…e-mail…

Well, he'd tell her the second she got back, anyway...

* * *

Misato paced around the decently sized command bridge of the _Over the Rainbow_ in her normal NERV uniform and red beret. In the center of the fully-staffed room sat the vaguely Russian Admiral running the fleet, but he had wisely given over command to Misato after she'd ran in here like a devil out of hell. "Where the hell are Shinji and Asuka?" She yelled, rounding on the sailors and admiral. "Well!?"

"Third and Second Child have boarded Unit-02!" Called one of the bridge technicians.

"Patch me through to them!" She turned on a dime, striding towards the unfortunate crewman. She closed on the poor soul who'd told her, practically shoving the hapless man out of the way to get closer to his station's radio. It crackled with interference for a moment, and then it cleared up.

"_-quit squirming! It's your fault for not bringing your own suit!"_

"_No it isn't! No one told me the next Angel was going to be a whale!" _

_Since when did Shinji grow a spine? _"Both of you!" Misato said quickly, attempting to gloss over their petty squabbling. "The Angel is most likely after the Eva! Get out of there as fast as possible!" She ordered, already trying to think of a plan.

"_That doesn't matter! Look, this time just think in German!" _Asuka commanded angrily.

"_Oh sure, that's easy. Here, I'll give it a shot right now. 'nicht Sai ben bratwurdsalat." _ Shinji said, affecting a German accent to sound as guttural as possible.

"_What?! None of that's real German!"_ The Second Child yelled in bewilderment.

"_Oh, well lemme try again. 'hai sei kantoro sweetan'." _ He said sarcastically, still affecting the accent.

Then there was what sounded like a small scuffle in the cockpit. _"I will punch you if you don't stop that ridiculous nonsense!" _Asuka yelled angrily.

Misato balled her hands into fists, growling quietly. "You two! You'll have to work together to defeat the Angel!" She said, using her best command voice.

"_It was a joke! I don't even know German!" _

Asuka made a wordless noise of frustration._ "Then don't lie and say you do! "_

"_Well you're the one who told me to do it!" _

"Shinji…" Misato said slowly, her nails digging into her palm as her frustration rose.

"_I was expecting that you'd learned at least some basic language skills! It's not my fault you're an uncultured idiot!"_

"Asuka…" The purple-haired woman's eyebrow twitched violently, giving the bridge staff a warning to scoot away from the quietly shaking woman.

"_I'm Japanese! Why would I know German?!" _

"_Well, I'm German, and __**I **__know Japanese! I was hoping you'd be something other than a distract-"_

Misato's patience finally ran out. "BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP AND FOCUS!" She roared angrily, slamming her fist down next to the radio. She growled quietly into the radio before pulling away and straightening up, her face once again calm and serious.

The entire room was silent for a few moments before the radio crackled back to life. _"Y-yes ma'am."_ The fearful apology came in almost perfect sync. _ "We're focusing now."_

Misato kept standing completely straight. "Good!' She bit out, using just the right amount of anger to cow the two further. "Now get ready to fight the Angel!" She ordered, sounding a bit stiffer than she would've liked.

"_Look, I'll…just set it to Japanese. That should…That should fix everything."_

"_Y-Yeah…that sounds good. Let's…do that."_

"_E-Evangelion Unit-02, Start!"_ Asuka called out loudly, her voice wavering slightly.

* * *

She opened her eyes, only to be greeted with a dark void. Her whole body felt tired and heavy, and it was a struggle to even keep her eyes open. Her sight was fuzzy and unfocused, but far in the distance she could see two people surrounded by an aura of dim light, one a…red girl with red hair, the other a… red boy with black hair. Next to the boy was…was…a something. It was like a…ball….a black ball…but it was on fire…and the fire was black too.

_What it?_

Strangely, even though she couldn't quite place what the object truly was, she felt an urge to reach out and touch it. So, closing the distance between her and the children in three strides and cheerfully ignoring the feeling that she was sinking, she did just that.

She reached out, feeling the object up for a moment before she tore a chunk of it off. It made a funny, high-pitched noise that lasted for a while before it petered out. Once the ball had stopped making noise, it dimmed significantly, but that was ignored along with the sudden feeling of cold surrounding her, as she'd already stopped paying attention.

She looked over the black piece in her hand for a moment, still unsure as to what it was. It was warm in her hand, undulated like a flame as she held it, it looked kind of brittle, and was small enough to be bite-sized.

_Is a…food?_

Feeling curious, she opened her mouth and popped the strange matter inside in one motion. She closed her eyes, taking a few steps back on reflex. She chewed on it for a moment, savouring both its crunchiness and its powerfully hot taste before swallowing. She smiled, feeling pleasant warmth spread through her body.

_So good…I wonder if there's more somewhere…_

_Wait… _

…_Where am I?_

The woman felt a small pain in her hands as her head jerked up and she opened her eyes. She felt strangely energized, yet unfocused and slow at the same time. It was…like she'd just run a whole marathon while sleepwalking, and she'd only now woken up. She looked around, her red hair swishing back and forth as she took in her surroundings. In the distance, she spied a redheaded girl in a red plugsuit, along with a foreign black-haired boy wearing the same red suit, but he had a dim ball of burning shadow wobbling around his head.

The woman strode forward, feeling a powerful desire to get close to the redhead. Something about the girl was highly familiar, but she just couldn't figure out what. The closer she got, the more it bothered her, until she was right behind the teenager.

The redheaded lady, without a hint of hesitation, put her hands on the girl's shoulders. Strangely, her left hand sank into the body of the young girl without a bit of difficulty, while her right felt like it was pressing against a brick wall. It was an odd feeling, but that didn't bother the woman in the slightest. Even unnoticed as she was by the girl, the woman still felt much better. It was as if a great weight of worry had just fallen off her shoulders, one she hadn't even noticed until it was gone. She closed her eyes and sighed dreamily, feeling so very content at the moment. Still…

_She's so familiar… _

_But where? Where have I met this girl before?_

* * *

"_Misato! We could really use a plan right about now!" _Asuka yelled loudly. _"We're kind of about to be swallowed!"_

"I'm trying, but you're kind of outpacing my planning abilities!" Misato snapped back, trying to balance planning out how to engage the Angel with the Children's immediate situation. The two of them had managed to hook up the umbilical cable without difficulty, which was good. Unfortunately, right afterwards the Angel had burst out of the water and crashed into them. It's mouth had clamped down on them as it passed, dragging Unit-02 down into the water so it could bite them in half. Thankfully, Asuka had been enough of a quick thinker to put Unit-02's hands and feet between them and its teeth, so at least it couldn't just tear them in half.

Unfortunately for Misato, since this maneuver had put Unit-02 at the back of the 6th Angels' gaping maw, the two pilots were quickly running out of cable. Since Unit-02 had been shipped without the B-type equipment designed for sea battles, they were already fighting at a great disadvantage. If Unit-02 ran out of power underwater, or worse, detached from the cable, not only would the two be sitting ducks, they'd sink to the bottom of the ocean and drown.

"_We can see the core! It's within reach, but we don't have any weapons to hit it with!" _ The Third Child supplied quickly, his voice tinged with a faint edge of desperation.

"_It's trying to crush us right now!" _ Asuka cried urgently.

Misato grimaced, silently wishing that she didn't have so many factors working against them right now. However, she could feel the beginnings of a plan coming together in her mind. "Alright, I need the both of you to-"

"_Wait a sec…What's going on?!"_

Misato looked up, her train of thought momentarily derailed thanks to the redhead's odd outburst. "Asuka, what did you just say?" She called out urgently, trying to stay calm at all costs.

"_What? What are you talking about?!"_

"_I feel weird! Did you do something to my Eva?!"_

"Asuka! Ignore it for now!" Misato ordered forcefully.

"_No!" _Shinji cried out almost immediately. _ "More importantly, what did you want us to do Misato!?"_

Misato shook her head, refocusing on the situation at hand. "Alright, I need both of you to listen closely!" She commanded quickly, thankful that the two were starting to cooperate with her. "I need you to tell me-"

* * *

"_-Can you see anything that could be used against the Angel? Anything you could use as a weapon?"_

"A weapon?" Asuka replied quickly, pursing her lips as she processed Misato's question. Though it was damn dark in the ocean to be looking around for options, she managed to find out that she had a whole lot of one. "I see teeth!" She answered quickly. "They look pretty sharp, so they might work!"

"_Asuka I'm not sure-"_

The Second Child spun Unit-02's right hand around to take hold of one of the monster's many white teeth. Once that was done, she pulled as she could. With a muted organic tearing noise, the sharp fang came loose, blood momentarily drifting out of the hole before a new tooth emerged to plug the hole. Thankfully, it was just big enough to fit snugly in one hand, as the Eva's other was still busy keeping the Angel's mouth open.

"I don't think this'll work-" Shinji tried to speak up.

"EAT IT!" Asuka roared, ignoring the boy behind her as she swung the makeshift spike directly towards the Angel's exposed core. The spike rammed into the core, penetrating a tiny bit before stopping dead. Gaghiel whipped its head from side to side in an attempt to fling them out of its mouth, but Asuka wouldn't be stopped so easily. She stabbed into the core again and again with the makeshift spike, small cracks spreading across the red crystal with each impact. The myriad cracks grew larger and deeper as she continued to strike, until the entire orb looked ready to shatter.

"DIE!" With that final scream of anger, Asuka drove the bone-white fang into the core, and this time, it penetrated all the way in.

Gaghiel roared in what could only be described as pure agony, causing both pilots to wince. Bright shafts of crimson light began to shine out from each of the cracks in the crystal orb. Suddenly, Unit-02's hand slashed through the red flesh it had been pressing against. With its anchor point gone, Gaghiel's violent spasms proceeded to hurl the crimson Evangelion out into the ocean.

The two spun to a stop a good distance away from the dying beast, and it took them a while to recover from the sensation. When they did, they were treated to quite a sight. The giant beige fish monster twisted and spun around crazily in the water, its whole powerful body flexing almost randomly as the two shocked pilots watched in silence. Its movements became stronger and more frenzied as the light from its core grew brighter, nearly bowing into a circle once the pilots had to shield their eyes.

Then, almost without warning, the light went out. Both pilots chanced a look out, only to barely catch the sight of red crystal slipping out of Gaghiel's mouth and sinking to the ocean floor. Once the crystal shards had disappeared from sight, the two teens looked up, only to catch sight of copious amounts of dark crimson blood seeping from Gaghiel's still body.

"I…I did it! I did it! I killed the Angel!" Asuka crowed gleefully, pumping her fist like an excited little girl.

"…Wow. That was…crazy." Shinji admitted.

Asuka abruptly rounded on the boy, grinning smugly. "See that, Third Child?" She asked rhetorically, her whole face practically glowing with triumph. "I don't need crazy superpowers to win! All I need are my skills and my Eva! So I just-"

"_Right, right that's enough. You won Asuka and that makes you the best." _Misato interrupted, turning the redhead's jubilant smile into a frown of annoyance. _"Now then, both of you prepare to get drawn back up."_

"…Dang right I'm the best." Asuka muttered, sneaking in one last fist pump as the Evangelion began to rise.

* * *

Kana woke up, feeling immensely tired and quite lost. She groaned muzzily, forced to make a concerted effort to reach up and brush her long brown hair out of her face. Once that was done, her hand fell back to her side as she cast heavy-lidded eyes around her tiny white hospital room. She'd been injected with…something hours ago, then she'd fell asleep, and now that she was awake, she felt terrible. In fact, she was so tired she couldn't even sit up.

_What happened? That lady talked to me, then those doctors came, then…then…what's that noise?_

Kana listened intently to the strange sound. It was a high-pitched noise, but muffled and very quiet. She'd only just realized what is was when it suddenly cut off. _…That…That was the emergency siren…Was there an attack? Is…Is big bro in danger? Is…everything going to be okay? Or…_

Further thought on the subject was foreclosed when she heard footsteps thunder down the hall outside. In moments, her hospital door flew open, revealing a panting black-haired teenager wearing a tracksuit behind it.

"Sis! Are you okay?!" He cried, rushing to her side and giving her a big hug.

"…Big brother?" She coughed weakly, her words muffled in his chest. "What's…going on?"

"N-nothing's going on, sis!" He tried to sound reassuring, but the waver in his voice gave him away. "I'm just glad you're okay!"

"…Th-thanks… big bro." Kana muttered, starting to fall backwards the instant her brother let go.

"H-hey! Be careful!" Toji cried, catching her almost instantly. This time, he carefully lowered her back down to the soft white bedding. "Y…you're pushin yourself too hard again sis." He chided her weakly. "You should-"

"Hey! What the hell are you doing in there?!"

In moments the door had been thrown open and a big blond doctor wearing a labcoat stomped in. In seconds he'd seized her brother and begun dragging him out.

"H-hey, what's the big idea?! Let go of me!" Toji protested, struggling futilely against the larger man's iron grip.

Kana watched the blond doctor drag her angry brother out of the room as a horrendous feeling stole over her. She tried looking around, but her vision was starting to swim, and her lungs felt like they were burning._ Everything's all…fuzzy now…Something's not…right._ She tried to open her mouth to call for help, but all she got for her trouble was a black shadow creeping over her eyes. She knew, distantly, that she should be afraid for her life right now, but she just felt…so…

…tired…

* * *

"_Hang on, if I'm not the foreigner girl with something to prove, which romance option am I? They've already got the quiet one, the normal one, and the older one, soooo…?"_


	8. (This Space Now Half Off)

_**Chapter 7: Dance for the dolls**_

"Asuka, why do you keep looking over your shoulder?" Shinji asked, glancing between the redhead and the school gate as they stood on the concrete sidewalk in front of the school grounds.

"Because I don't know if you're trustworthy, duh!" The redhead snapped quickly, checking over her shoulder for the tenth time in five minutes.

"But you were okay with me when I was in the plug with you?"

Asuka had the decency to look flustered for a moment. "Well…that… you're…you've just given me a reason to rethink that decision!" She huffed, regretting the half-baked insult the moment she said it. "A-anyway, let's just get inside. "

Shinji winced as the redhead strode into the school grounds with an exaggerated huff. "Ouch…" He sighed, reluctantly following Asuka into the school yard.

* * *

"Hey! Shinji!"

The brown haired boy turned around, spotting a sandy brown haired nerd running across the school grounds towards him. "Oh, hey Kensuke." He greeted amicably as the boy slid to a stop in front of him.

"Where were you yesterday, man?" Kensuke questioned, breathing slightly hard from his little run. "Toji was looking for you."

Shinji's eyes widened a bit, and he scratched the back of his head. "Oh, I, uh…Misato took me to meet somebody."

Kensuke's eyes lit up for a moment. _ Trying to be vague, huh? Clever, my friend, but not clever enough to thwart an Aida! _ "Wait, you're getting a new teammate?" He lied, hoping the boldness of his words would throw his unfortunate friend off-kilter. "Awesome! Is he cool?" the nerd pressed.

"H-huh?" Shinji shook his head. 'Cool' was the last word he'd use to describe her. "He's a she…" He abruptly stopped, wincing as he realized that he'd just been tricked.

Kensuke grinned triumphantly. "So you _are_ getting a teammate!"

"Er, ah, I mean…" Shinji fumbled over an excuse for a few moments until he just threw up his hands and sighed. "Okay, you win. I left with Misato to go meet my new teammate." He admitted softly, managing to at least keep eye contact with his friends face instead of the ground. "We were on this big group of…carriers or something, and…"

"WHAT!?" Kensuke exclaimed in true shock. "You went to go see a carrier fleet and you didn't invite me?! Why not?!" He questioned angrily, waving a finger under his supposed friend's chin.

Shinji put his hands up and backed away from the irate nerd. "…Well, it was pretty early when we left, and I thought you'd still be asleep…" He offered awkwardly.

"Of course." Kensuke scoffed, crossing his arms and turning away with an offended huff. "It's not like you could've called or something!" He sniffed exaggeratedly. "I would've come in a heartbeat!"

Shinji looked at the ground as a wave of shame washed over him. "I'm sorry…" He mumbled, feeling a spike of mortal shame stab through him.

Kensuke held his offended pose for a few moments before sighing dramatically. Once done, he slowly turned back to his friend, taking another deep breath as he did. "Well, anyway…" He shook his head, the anger from before quickly draining from his face. "What did Toji want to talk to you about?"

Shinji looked up at that. "Huh?"

"Yesterday." Kensuke clarified for the genuinely confused boy. "He was really distracted when I tried to talk to him in class. He said something about weird stuff happening last night. " He shrugged. "I tried to get more out of him, but he wouldn't say anything. Then he disappeared after school."

"Oh." Shinji blinked, trying to think of a way to explain what happened last night without sounding like he needed to be locked up. "Um, well, I was in my room, and…" He trailed off once he noticed the look of growing horror on Kensuke's face.

"…Dude, did something…" Kensuke began awkwardly, his face pale as a ghost. "…h-happen…" He almost choked on the word. "…between you and him?"

"What?" Shinji questioned blankly. "Well, yeah, I guess you could say that."

Kensuke blanched. "I mean, I…It's not my place to judge or anything, but uh…" The nerd made a good attempt to soldier on, but his traitorous imagination refused to be dissuaded so easily. "I-I mean, i-it's good you uh, know, what you…like…" he said, his voice slowly strangling as he went on.

"I…like!?"Shinji gasped, his eyes snapping wide open as he grasped the meaning behind Kensuke's words. "N-no! No no no! It was nothing like that! " He babbled fearfully, waving his arms in front of him like he was warding off a demon. "It's just…I…I called him into my room and…"

Kensuke gasped, taking a big step back as his mouth hung open. "…You _called_ him into your-"

"N-no! That's not what I meant!" Shinji practically shrieked, gazing around the schoolyard like it held the answer to his predicament.

After a few moments of panicked searching, Shinji stopped abruptly. He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed. "Look, um…remember the voice from when I met you?"

Kensuke blinked, his face still a bit pale. "You mean that Gig guy? The jerk?"

"Y-yeah." Shinji nodded quickly. "Anyway, he…gave me something called 'Dominion'." His voice stumbled a bit over the word. "Far as I've learned, it just lets me…I guess 'summon people' using these little dolls it makes. But I have to say 'I dominate' and whoever's name, and they have to accept. Then I get a little doll that disappears whenever I do the…summoning. I tried it out with Toji last night, and…that's what happened."

Kensuke's shock had been slowly replaced during Shinji's explanation by a flat stare. "Prove it."

"Huh?" Shinji frowned.

"I said prove it." The nerd repeated, his flat stare taking on a hard edge. "Do the whole thing."

Shinji looked down at his empty hands. "But, the only one I've got is Toji, and its back at my-"

Kensuke sighed. "Fine then, you can use me. 'Dominate' me…" He winced at the word. "…Or whatever it is you're supposed to do." He crossed his arms, a frown on his face. _How can he believe in something so obviously fake? At least this way he'll realize it and move on._

Shinji looked at his friend for a moment, before slumping in defeat. "…Okay. I dominate Kensuke Aida."

"See, it's to-gah!" Kensuke's hands snapped up to his eyes as a bright flash blinded them.

When the light faded, there was a sandy blond-haired doll in Shinji's hand. It wore glasses and a normal school uniform, with beady brown eyes and a blank smile on its face. Everything about it looked exactly the same as Kensuke did, just scaled down and made out of stiff cloth.

Both teenagers stared at the rather creepy thing for a good long while, one more incredulously than the other.

"…See?" Shinji said weakly, turning the strange doll over in his hands a few times.

"….Oh." Kensuke muttered, staring intently at the cloth figure in his friend's hands. _It's…actually pretty accurate…and that just makes it creepier._ "So…I guess you were telling the truth, huh…" He admitted weakly, gazing around them for a moment.

Shinji nodded weakly. "Y-yeah."

Both teens jumped a bit when the class bell rang out across the grounds.

"…I guess…we should get to class." Kensuke offered, still stealing a few glances at the weird doll as he turned to head for the school.

"Right…" Shinji agreed quietly, stuffing the cloth facsimile of his friend all the way down to the bottom of his bag. With that done, he turned to follow his friend back into the school.

* * *

"Hey you!"

Rei looked up from her book with a bit of a frown. The voice's imperious tone made her feel…Irritated. That's what it was. It wasn't as strong as it had been in the hospital, though. _I should ask the Commander what this means._

"You're the First Child, right?" The voice asked, now much louder.

Rei blinked, clearing away the strange thought to focus on the girl in front of her. "…Yes." She said softly, regarding the imperiously posing redhead.

"Well, I'm the Second Child!" The strange redhead chirped, extending a hand to Rei. "Let's be good friends!" she said, looking expectantly at the First Child.

"Why?" Rei asked, making no move to take the offered hand or get up from the bench.

"W-well…" The redhead looked around the schoolyard for a moment, drawing her hand back as she did. "B-Because it would be really convenient, duh!"

"Convenient?" Rei regarded the redhead coolly.

The Second Child sagged. "Don't be an idiot!" She snapped. "You know what I mean! "

_**There's no way you can be this utterly idiotic and still **__**talk**__**.**_

Rei abruptly stood up, dropping her book on the ground. "I refuse." She stepped past the redhead, feeling an unfamiliar urge to get as far away from the girl as possible.

"H-hey! You can't just leave! Get back here!" Asuka yelled, running off after her as the bell rang.

* * *

Maya hummed a little tune as she sat at her terminal, trying to stave off boredom and exhaustion as she waited for the MAGI reports to come 'd been ordered to do a full sweep of the MAGI after the strange alert yesterday, and Maya had been 'volunteered' for the job. Dr. Akagi had left to inspect the MAGI's hardware, leaving her to run the software scans for the night. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot for Maya to do while waiting for the scans to finish, so she'd occupied her time by either counting the tiles on the ceiling or trying to compose music.

Two quiet beeps brought her attention back to her screen. Her lips pursed into a slight frown as she read the reports. _Huh….that's strange. While Melchior's not done yet, the scans of Caspar and Balthazar state that they were working properly at the time of the alert. It's likely that Melchior will say the same thing, so where do we go from here? _ She leaned back a bit in her chair and looked up at the ceiling, sighing softly. _Dr. Akagi's still examining the MAGI hardware, but she's probably come up with nothing too…_

A ding interrupted her thoughts, bringing her attention back to the screen. She read the report, nodding slightly once she finished. _Just_ _as I thought. Melchior's fine too. _She looked down, pursing her lips as she rolled the facts over in her head._ So that means…they really did detect an Ange-_

"The problem isn't in the MAGI's hardware."

To Maya's credit, she only froze for a few moments before she got a hold of herself. Slowly, she looked up from her desk, spying the calm, cool face of her superior, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, standing in the doorway.

The doctor stepped over to the brunette's terminal without so much as a greeting. "Have you found anything in the software?" She asked curtly.

Maya felt a strong desire to wilt into her seat, but she suppressed it, instead taking a deep breath before answering. "No. I've run every scan I can think of, and I'm absolutely sure it wasn't a glitch." She stated calmly, making a concerted effort to keep her voice level.

"Then there was an Angel attack yesterday." Ritsuko stated simply.

Maya's energy flagged as she tried to process that statement, the gears in her head finally feeling the effects of sleep deprivation. "So then, where's the Angel?" She asked after quite a long pause. "Shouldn't it have…done something by now if that was the case?"

Ritsuko shrugged noncommittally. "We don't know enough about the Angels to say for certain." She conceded. "However, the Commander has approved of searching Tokyo-3 to make sure the Angel isn't waiting for us to drop our guard."

"A…search?" Maya glanced back at her screen, her tired brain already thinking of a flaw in her superior's reasoning. "But, how can we find it if the MAGI's sensors could only detect it for a few minutes?"

Dr. Akagi pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her coat pocket, drawing one out before answering. "Since the Angel was a cloud of mist when it attacked, it's not unlikely that it was attempting to infect Tokyo-3's population through airborne vectors." She paused her explanation, pulling a lighter out of her other pocket and lighting her cigarette. Once done, she stuffed the cigarettes and lighter back into her pocket before continuing. "We'll take blood samples of everyone in Tokyo-3, and check them for any signs of Angelic contamination."

Maya pursed her lips, trying to estimate the time it would take to bring the entire population into NERV for a check-up. "That's going to take a while…." She stated, unable to keep the exhaustion out of her tone.

Ritsuko blew out a plume of smoke as she reached over to Maya's desk, bringing up a phone directory with a few keystrokes. "Contact the city's medical staff and tell them we expect their full support." She paused, politely waiting for Maya to finish yawning and realize it before continuing. "We'll put a bulletin out ordering everyone to report for testing." With that, Ritsuko turned her back on Maya and headed for the door, shutting it without a word once she was through.

The mousy brunette stared at the door for a moment before looking down at her screen and the numbers on it. _It's…eight in the morning…_ "Guess I better get started…" She sighed, switching on the microphone in the terminal to begin the first of many calls.

* * *

Toji sighed quietly, glancing furtively over his shoulder as he pushed open the hospital wing doors. Inside, his sister was waiting for him.

It'd been two days since he'd been kicked out by that blonde doctor jerk, and to make matters even worse, they'd barred him from visiting his sister, citing 'health reasons'. They'd even gone so far as to have some security guard 'escort' him out of the building when he'd tried to get back in yesterday.

But he was Toji Suzuhara! There was no damn way he'd let some security goon and a bunch of smug doctor jerkoffs keep him from putting a smile on his suffering sister's face!

So, with that burning motivation, he'd decided to sneak in to see her today.

Surprisingly enough, it was going way better than he'd expected, for a bunch of reasons. First off was that, thanks to a propped-open emergency exit, he'd managed to skip that security goon at the front.

The second reason was that the place was practically empty. He hadn't seen a single doctor or nurse since he'd snuck in, and while that was great, it was also really disconcerting. After a bit of thought, he decided it was probably because of whatever that medical test they'd announced on TV was for. Since he'd done it earlier, he was free to walk around without anyone coming after him for ducking out of the test.

And third, he'd found a map of the place. So that was helpful too.

After a few more moments of walking, the jock stopped in front of the room his sister was in. He took a deep breath, giving both sides of the grey hallway a conspiratorial glance before cracking the door open and poking his head into the room.

"Sis? Are you okay?" He called, trying his best to be quiet yet still loud enough for his sister to hear.

When he didn't get a response, he opened the door fully and slipped into the drab room, making sure to close it quietly before moving to the foot of Kana's bed. He gazed at the tiny, gown-clad body of his sister lying amidst the bed's rumpled sheets, the fear he felt for her safety growing worse the longer he looked.

She was sleeping, or at least he hoped she was. Her skin was pale and shiny with sweat, while her breath was quick and shallow, her chest heaving like she was fighting for every breath. Her long brown hair, instead of the vibrant, shiny mane he remembered, was a matted, damp, stringy mess, like she'd been tossing and turning in her sleep.

"Sis? Are you…um, awake?" He asked awkwardly, unsure of what to do about the pitiful sight in front of him. _This is…um…normal for that operation or whatever they did on her…right?_

Just like before, the pale girl didn't answer him.

"Come on, you gotta be okay…" Toji muttered fearfully, reaching down and placing a hand on his sister's cool and clammy forehead. _What's going on with her?_

Unfortunately for the jock, the universe decided he deserved an immediate answer.

Kana's eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of blood-red orbs with pinprick-sized pupils. Both of the girl's tiny hands flew up, clamping down on his arm like a bear trap. Her mouth opened wide as she yanked him closer, and she bit down as hard as she possibly could the instant her brother's forearm was in range.

Toji, torn between the sharp pain and the desire to not get caught, let out a strangled scream of pain as his sister's teeth sank into his flesh. "Wh-what the hell are you doing, Sis!?" He cried in pain, trying to jerk his arm out of her mouth and failing.

He was about to wrench her mouth open when, just as suddenly as she'd grabbed him, she let go. Her mouth slipped off his arm, and she flopped back onto the bed like a boneless doll.

"Why did you bite me?!" He hissed forcefully, whipping his wounded arm away from the girl the instant it was free.

His prone sister didn't reply. Instead, her eyes closed, her body relaxed, and her tongue licked the blood off her lips. In the space of a few moments she looked just like she had when he'd first arrived.

_Dammit Sis! What the hell did those damn doctors do to you?! _Touji reached out to shake his sister awake, but froze halfway there when he heard a muffled thump. _Are…Are those footsteps?_ He listened intently to the now rhythmic noise, switching his gaze between the door, his bleeding arm, and his sister. _If they find me here…they might do the same thing to me…_ He bunched up his tracksuit sleeve to cover the bite mark, wincing at the fresh spike of pain that lanced through him when he touched it. He gave his sister one last worried glance before he opened the door and fled.

* * *

Misato shook off her shock at the Angel's revival the moment its newly minted twin bodies sent both her pilots flying. "Asuka! Shinji! The both of you have to work together to defeat the Angel!" She commanded forcefully, wincing as she saw Unit-02 take a flying dropkick on the chin.

"_Oh, __**sure**__!" _Shinji's attempt at sarcasm held an edge of pain. _"Perfect teamwork with someone I __**just**__ met! That'll be __**easy**__!"_

Misato frowned. _What's going on with him? He was never this flippant before…_ Shaking off her unease, she turned to Ritsuko for a moment. "Any ideas, Dr. Akagi?" She asked quickly, her gaze snapping back to the screen the instant she finished.

"Hmm…" Ritsuko hummed thoughtfully, her eyes tracing over the video feed in front of her. "The Angel seems to be operating with an amazing degree of synchronisation between its two halves. It will be difficult for either of them to counter it acting alone." She stated calmly, glancing at the Ops Director as she spoke.

Misato nodded, keeping her gaze fixed on the screen. "Both of you, listen!" She commanded, glancing between the two's feeds for a moment before continuing. "Both halves of the Angel are operating in perfect sync, so you have to coordinate your actions in order to counter it effectively!"

"_We're trying to do that!" _ The two pilots shot back, a grunt of pain following Asuka's reply.

Misato suppressed a frustrated growl at the reality of the situation versus what her two pilots had just said. "Trying isn't good enough!" She objected forcefully. "You have to sync up, because if the both of you don't work together you won't win!"

"_Well it'd be easier to sync up if this idiot wasn't so damn __**slow!**__"_

"_Sh-shut up! You're the one who charged in like an idiot, not m-guh!"_

While she felt a pang of sympathy for her ward as the Angel slammed him into the ground, Misato had to admit that Asuka was right. "Shinji, you have to keep up!" She commanded strongly, fixing her charge with a steely glare as the Angel dropped him face first to the ground.

"I…I don't…" Shinji groaned quietly, his head tilting forward in what looked like shame.

_What is wrong with him today? _Misato took a moment to compose herself before she tried again. "Shinji…" She sighed quietly. "Whether you like her or not, you still have to work with her." She tried to soften her 'command voice' to be a little gentler, but unfortunately she forgot to stop glaring at him. "Remember, your #1 priority is to defeat the Angel!"

He didn't respond, making the only indication he'd heard her was his minutely trembling body.

"_Yeah idiot! Try being something other than dead weight for once!"_

"Asuka, that's enough!" Misato scolded harshly, her patience more than used up by now. "We don't have time for petty revenge, Third Child, so you-"

"_SHUT THE GODDAMN HELL UP!"_ Shinji screamed suddenly, his head snapping up to reveal glaring red-rimmed eyes.

Misato actually backed up a foot in surprise at the boy's angry scream. _Since when the hell did Shinji get anger issues?! _She looked around the room in silence for a few moments as she thought of a way to placate the boy. "You have to work together to beat the Angel." She stated firmly, her tone devoid of the shock she was feeling. "My orders are just to help you do-"

"_You wanna help me!?" _Shinji cut her off harshly as Unit-01 stood up, his scowling face filled with a mixture of anger and pain. _"Is that what you want!? You wanna keep yapping at me!? BECAUSE THAT'S ALL YOU'RE DOING!" _He lunged farther and farther forward in his seat with each scratchy, harsh yell.

Misato stared at the red-faced boy onscreen, her mouth working busily but remaining silent. "W-well-" She stammered, honestly at a loss for words at this point.

"_FINE! BE USELESS!"_ Shinji shouted angrily, ignorant of the giant fist coming up behind him. _ "YOU –GAK!" _His voice cut off into a shriek of pain as the Angel once again sent him flying.

* * *

Misato shut the screen off at that point. "So." She stated, her voice cold and harsh as she glared at the downcast teenager in front of her. "Would you mind telling me just why you decided to throw a _temper tantrum_ in the middle of a _combat_ engagement?"

* * *

Asuka hummed as she unlocked the door to Misato's apartment, forgetting to take off her shoes before striding into the kitchen.

Honestly, she would've liked to be rooming with Kaji, and had said as much to the man, but he'd just ruffled her hair and said he didn't have room. Instead, he'd suggested that she should move in with Misato, of all people, for some reason. Asuka had tried to protest, but then he'd 'asked' her to do it. Not one to disappoint, she'd reluctantly agreed, and he'd tossed her a key.

So now she was peering around the surprisingly tidy apartment, looking for a place to put her stuff.

"Oh well. At least he didn't suggest I move in with the First." She sighed heavily as she recalled the dismal affair with the albino.

The bell had rung right after she'd been ditched, forcing her to wait out the whole school day before she could track down the girl. Thankfully, it had been easy to find her after class. Once she'd given her a stern talking to about ditching a fellow pilot like that, she managed to extract an apology from the albino before some Section Two goons had come along. They'd carted the First off, citing a probably made up sync test to keep her from following them. While she couldn't believe that the First Child could've had the gall to refuse her magnanimous offer of friendship, the girl at least acted like a pilot, unlike the smart-mouthed, cowardly Third.

Once she'd thoroughly cased the living room, checked out the dance mat, and had the misfortune to lay eyes on the disaster area securely locked behind the door in the living room, she decided to check the hallway. Right away, she spotted a door with a drawing of a heart tacked on it. She tried to decipher the writing that was alongside of the heart, but she couldn't make out whatever the message was through the bad handwriting. Shrugging off whatever it could've said as unimportant, she opened the door and stepped inside.

_Wait, is this storage or something? _At first glance, it seemed perfectly serviceable for her purposes, though it was kind of lacking in furniture. There was a bookshelf filled with various manuals and other boring books, a black closet filled with what she imagined were Misato's old outfits, a neatly made bed, and a white shelf with two smiling cloth dolls sitting on the-

_Doll._

The one on the left was a black-haired, tracksuit wearing _thing_, its beady little eyes tracking her every move. The other was wearing glasses and a scaled down version of a school uniform, with sandy brown hair and a creepy blank smile.

Asuka opened her mouth to scream, but she caught herself in the nick of time. The redhead consciously willed the bile rising in her throat back down, taking several deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She wouldn't let this get to her, she was the fearless pilot of Unit-02, not some terrified little kid! They were just a pair of creepy dolls, nothing more. Just two creepy rag dolls that looked way too goddamn realistic with inky black eyes that drilled into her very soul-

They blinked.

* * *

The door latch on Shinji's room shattered into bits as a redhead screaming bloody murder slammed the door aside shoulder first. She dashed through the apartment in record time, shrieking like a little girl the whole way. The panicking teenager rushed into the entryway, yanked open the front door, and dashed through-

"Argh!"

-instantly crashing headlong into the brunet teen standing behind it, sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

"By dose! I tink you broke by dose!" The boy yelled angrily, both hands over his nose as he writhed in pain on the floor.

"Owww…" Asuka groaned in pain, lying in a heap not five feet from the boy. "My head… what did I hit?" She asked absently, staring at nothing while her vision swam and the pain blanked out anything she might've been thinking about.

"ME!" Shinji yelled, pointing a shaky finger at the girl now that he'd confirmed she hadn't broken his nose. He sat up and scooted up against the hallway wall, glowering impotently at the lump of redhead across from him.

"Oh." Asuka said blankly, the grinding gears in her head speeding up as the pain faded and the world came back into focus. She pushed herself up and sat back, bringing her legs in under her so she ended up sitting cross-legged opposite her teammate. "Wait…what were you doing there in the first place?" She asked, glancing at the door on her left.

"Th-this is where I live!" He protested, gesturing between himself and the door next to her. "Why wouldn't I be here!?"

Asuka blinked, her face scrunching up in concentration as she rolled that tidbit around in her head. "What? This is where Misato lives…" Her gaze flipped between Shinji and the door for an embarrassingly long few moments until her brain managed to identify the contradiction. "…Hold it. A: wasn't she chewing you out earlier, and B, This is her house." Her head tilted to the side unconsciously. "How can you live here?"

The anger in his face vanished at her comment, and was quickly replaced with an equal amount of shame. " W-well…" Shinji blushed, looking away as he realized how tactless he'd been. "I-"

"Oh I was, but I think he's gotten the message."

Both teens looked up in surprise, but only Asuka spoke up once they saw Misato walking down the hall. "Hello Misato." Asuka said evenly, standing up with as much dignity as she could muster as Misato stopped just short of them.

It took a few moments of silence plus Asuka elbowing him in the side as he got up for Shinji to greet her too.

Misato smirked slightly as she crossed her arms. "It's good to see you two are on speaking terms." She took a breath, and her smirk vanished, replaced with a completely level expression as she exhaled. "Now then, both of you follow me." She turned and marched into the apartment without another word.

The two teens traded confused glances, but they followed her inside anyway.

Misato walked into the main room of the apartment, her two followers nearly crashing into her when she abruptly stopped in the living room.

She turned on her heel, regarding both teens with a cool stare. "Alright, so. Since you two displayed such _exemplary_ teamwork in the last engagement…" She suppressed a smirk at the wince she saw in both pilots. "…the both of you are going to live together while you train for the engagement next week."

"Wait, what?!"

"We have less than a week to get you two working perfectly in sync." Misato stated, pointedly ignoring the gobsmacked looks on the pilots in front of her. "So in that time, the two of you will not only train together, you will eat together, read together, relax together…" She fixed both of them with a powerful glare, freezing the protests she could see them about to start. "_Everything_ will be done together."

"What about sleeping?" Shinji spoke hesitantly, trading fearful glances with the redhead. _Don't say it don't say it don't say it-_

"We'll set up mats in the living room." Misato turned up the intensity of her glare just a bit before continuing. "Originally, we were going to give you your own rooms, but after reviewing your frankly _shameful_ performances in the last battle, it's been decided that your training comes before any convenience or comfort." She stopped glaring at this point, dialling back her gaze to a stony look. "Any questions?"

It took a few moments before Asuka managed to work herself up enough to break the silence.

"Wh-Who came up with this?!" Asuka spluttered, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I-I demand to know who's responsible for this impossibly idiotic idea!"

"Kaji did." Misato stated, waiting until Asuka felt properly betrayed before continuing. "He came up with the idea, I refined it, Ritsuko provided the equipment, and the Commander signed off on it." She walked up to the machine and stuck her hand behind it. "Speaking of equipment…" She pulled out two sets of colourful spandex from the space behind it and handed them to the teens. "You'll be wearing these training outfits for the whole week."

"Th-these things?!" Both shrieked, staring in horror at the outfits in their hands.

The 'training outfits', as Misato had called them, consisted of a coloured spandex bodysuit, and what looked like some kind of weird t-shirt emblazoned with a pair of music notes. Asuka's outfit was a dark red/pale rose combo, while Shinji's was a dark blue/light aqua, but neither colour combo did anything but highlight the fact that both teens would look absolutely ridiculous in them.

Both opened their mouths to protest, but one glare from Misato shut them down before they could even start. Her head flicked towards the hall. "Get to changing."

* * *

Asuka tossed and turned on the mat, feeling impossibly tired yet unable to sleep. Instead, she thought back over the events of the day.

They'd started rehearsing the weird dance routine/'battle plan' immediately after changing into the suits, and they'd continued practicing it for the whole damn day, with one short break for dinner before resuming. Then, at about 10pm, they stopped, and thought over the results of their first day.

To put it politely, they'd bombed it completely. Not only were they almost comically out of sync with both the machine and each other, they weren't even very coordinated. Or the idiot wasn't, what with how he continually managed to slip and fall on his face nearly every single session. She, on the other hand…well, she'd simply had the misfortune of being cursed with an incredibly slippery mat.

At that point Misato had called, and had proceeded to tell the two exhausted teens that they'd be resuming practice at six in the morning, drawing a pair of quiet groans from both her and the idiot. Thankfully, the Captain had kindly ignored their agonized groans, instead saying that she'd be over in the morning to make sure they were practicing.

After Misato hung up, the two teenagers proceeded to get ready for bed with all the grace and energy of anemic cancer patients. The apartment was thankfully silent, since the two of them were too tired to even half-heartedly snipe at one another.

Asuka turned over on the mat, gazing at the sleeping boy next to her for a moment before turning away with a huff. She tossed and turned a few more times, her gaze swinging between the boy and the dance machine. On the final turn, completely by accident, she glanced towards the hallway, and saw the door from earlier hanging open-

_**A pair of ragged cloth dolls sit on a white shelf opposite her, wearing fixed, lifeless grins that were horrific mockeries of every real smile.**_

The redhead jolted like she'd just been punched. Her hands moved on their own, drawing the thin white sheets up over her head as she fought with all her heart to not start shaking like a leaf in a gale. Her eyes squeezed shut and she weakly shook her head back and forth, her body soon following suit.

_**Four beady, pitch black eyes drill through every layer of her defenses, leaving her frozen and alone as two small cloth hands reach right around her throat and-**_

_No! They're just a pair of stupid fake things. It's not the same, n-not the same. _

_It's not…_

She curled up into a shaking ball under the sheets, struggling not to cry before blessed darkness overtook her mind.

…_Mama…_

It took a few minutes, but the girl slowly stopped shaking, her breath slowly growing calm and even. Her face changed from a pained grimace into a normal smile as her body relaxed into the mat.

Then suddenly, without any warning, the redhead sat up and yawned.

"Well that was a nice little nap!" She said brightly.

* * *

"_Well, that was a nice little nap!_"

Shinji's eyes cracked open at the far too loud and happy statement. He tried to sit up for a moment before he listened to his protesting muscles and fell straight back to the mat. This time, he just turned his head in what he groggily thought was his teammate's direction. "Asuka…what are you doing?" He moaned groggily, various shapes dancing all throughout the myriad shadows in his vision.

If the redhead heard him at all, she didn't show it as she glanced around the dark room. "Now where am I?" She asked, her voice still far too loud for Shinji's liking.

She abruptly stood up, stretching deeply before working the kinks out of her neck. "I wonder what's outside?" The redhead said absently, turning and heading for the veranda door. Shinji watched the girl give the veranda door a few quick tugs, before turning around and striding into the kitchen.

_What in god's name is she doing? _ Shinji absently gazed around the room once the irritatingly bouncy redhead vanished into the darkness. _ And…how can she be so peppy? _He heard a few muffled clicks from the entryway and then a disappointed whine.

"…Huh, its locked. Oh well." She sighed, turning back and walking back to the mat. "I wonder what else is in here?" She asked absently, turned and walked down the hallway.

It took a few moments after she'd vanished into the first room for Shinji to realize two things. One, she was now in his room, and two, she was probably rooting around in it.

He managed to rouse himself enough to get up and follow her into his room, tottering down the dark hall on unsteady legs.

He pulled the door open without effort, only to spy her picking up the dolls on the shelf, and starting to play with them.

He watched the shadowy sight in front of him for a few moments before he spoke up. "…What are you doing?" He groaned sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

The redhead tensed, looking up in surprise and relaxing once she saw who it was. "Oh, I was curious what was in here, and I saw the dolls, and they looked like fun, sooooo…" her bright voice trailed off at that point.

He stared at her for a moment, feeling a new wave of sleepiness flood into him. "Well…Just…put them back…" He said, supressing a yawn as he leaned against the doorframe.

She looked back at the shelf for a moment. "…But they might fall off." She reasoned, clearly unhappy to stop.

Shinji sighed powerfully, feeling a pressing desire to just fall asleep where he was. "Then…just chuck them in my closet, I don't care." He took a deep breath as he rubbed his eyes again.

"…Well, okay." She agreed reluctantly, picking the dolls up.

He watched her open his closet and chuck the two dolls inside, yawning deeply as she shut the doors. "Now…I need to get some sleep." He thought for a moment. "You too, cause Misato'll get mad…if we're tired…tomorrow."

"Oh…" The redhead slumped, casting a sad glance to the left. "Okay." She got up to follow him out of the room.

The two walked back to the mats in silence, lying down with barely a sound. Shinji fell asleep almost instantly, while the girl took a little longer to drift off.

* * *

"Help!" Shinji cried out, tripping and falling flat on his face with a resounding thud.

"Oh for god's sake!" Asuka cursed, pulling at her hair in frustration. "Would you stop falling over?"

"Th-this is hard!" Shinji whined pathetically. "I'm not as coordinated as you are!"

Asuka looked away, sighing dramatically. "Ugh, fine." She turned around, crossing her arms as she faced him. "Look, here's what we'll do. Since I need to go to the bathroom, and you_ clearly _need a breather, we'll take a five minute break." She lied. "You can deal with a nice, long five minutes, right?" With that, she walked past him into the hall, pointedly ignoring his spluttered protests.

Once Asuka had stepped into the hall, she immediately realized that she was going the wrong way, but since turning around meant more time spent with her useless partner, she resolved to just stay in the hall for the five minutes. _How can he be so bloody pathetic? _She shook her head in disgust. _Even the First, who doesn't even have a kill to her name, at least acts like she's halfway respectable, if really damned weird. This idiot, on the other hand, acts like he's only barely got it together despite having __**three **__kills._ She glanced at the door to her left, her gaze catching for a moment on its busted latch. _I can't believe Misato would…A broken latch? When did that…happen…_

Asuka stopped dead, the blood draining from her face as she stared at the lock. This was the room. This was the room with those goddamn _living_ _**dolls**_ and she'd been in the same apartment as them for three whole days without even realizing it! She began to hyperventilate, sweat forming on the back of her neck as her eyes grew wide.

_No! _With a bit of effort, she balled her hands into fists and shut her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm down. _ I won't be scared. I'm not a child. They're probably just some completely screwed up action figures or something. They're not really alive, someone was just creepy enough to design them to blink so they would- _

"Asuka, are you okay?"

It was only thanks to a monumental effort on her part that she didn't jump out of her skin. "I'm…fine." She ground out, still staring at the door in front of her. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Oh, Okay-What happened to the door?!" His voice rose once he noticed the ruined latch. "D-did you break it?" He asked, peering between her and the ruined latch.

"No." She said, straining to sound calm and composed. "I found it like this."

Shinji winced as he took another look at the damage. "Oh man, Misato's gonna be so mad…" He groaned, reaching forward for the door knob.

Asuka felt a spike of fear shoot through her as she watched him reach for the damn door's knob. "H-hey, w-wait…!" She called, her voice just a little too late to stop him from pushing the door open.

He turned to her, confusion written all over his face. "Huh? What is it Asuka?"

"They're…not there?" Asuka stared into the room, feeling a strange mix of apprehension and relief wash over her. The whole room was just as it had been when she'd first seen it, except now the dolls were gone. In fact, it was like they'd never been there in the first place…

"They? Asuka? " Shinji called, poking her left arm a bit.

…Except that made no sense, as she was damn sure they were real when she saw them. And since neither of them had gone inside since then, thanks to Misato and the training, what the hell had happened to them?

Shinji cocked his head. "Asuka? You okay? Hello?" He asked, waving a hand in front of her face to no avail.

_Did I just imagine the damn things? No…why would I imagine them dressed like that? So if they were real, where are they? Did they just get up and walk away? _The redhead swallowed as images of that very idea flashed through her mind._ Wait, maybe someone moved them? _ She shut her eyes in concentration as her mind tried to solve this mystery. _But I haven't been inside, and from the way the Third reacted to the handle, he hasn't either…So, in that case…where could they be and how did they get there?_

Shinji once again opened his mouth to ask if the redhead was okay, but then a flash of inspiration struck him, and he shut it. He sneakily glanced right and left a few times before moving right behind the silent redhead, swallowing heavily once he was in position. Then, in one quick motion, he put a hand on her back and_ shoved._

Asuka's train of thought promptly derailed as she went flying forward. She crashed to the floor in a heap, too surprised to even attempt to catch herself. However, once on the floor, it took her less than an instant to leap up to her feet, whip around, and advance on the frightened perpetrator.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" She cried angrily, jabbing a finger under her traitorous teammate's chin as she glared daggers at him.

"I'm sorry you weren't reacting to anything so I thought that if just kinda shoved you a bit you'd snap out of it I'm sorry!" He cried, his defensive apology coming out in one fast stream.

Asuka's hands balled into fists as she continued to glare at him. "You thought shoving me would-"

"I'm sorry! It was stupid and I won't do it again!"

Asuka opened her mouth to yell at him some more, only to shut it. _It's probably been way past five minutes since we stopped. We keep this up any longer and Misato'll be breathing down our necks._ With a sigh, she strode past him. "Come on. Let's just get back to practice." She stated, not looking back to see if he followed her out of the room.

* * *

Hikari shook her head as she stepped out of the elevator. Touji had stayed home from school for the past few days, and Shinji and Asuka were nowhere to be found. So, since she had no idea where Asuka lived, she'd come to Shinji's building to deliver the printouts they'd missed. He probably knew where she lived, since they were both pilots.

She knocked on the door, holding a stack of printouts in her other hand.

"Give us a second!"

Hikari frowned as the content of that statement hit her. _Wait, us? I thought Ms. Katsuragi was at work right now…_

"Hello!"

The door swung open, and the sight it revealed almost knocked Hikari over.

"Oh my God what are you _wearing_?!" Before the gobsmacked Class representative stood an exhausted Shinji and an equally tired Asuka. Both of them were slumping and sweaty, but that wasn't why she was shocked. What shocked her was that both of them were dressed in ridiculous, colour coded, tight spandex costumes straight out of an 80's dance tape.

"In our defense, these weren't our idea!" The two said in unison, motioning for her to come inside the moment they finished.

Hikari frowned slightly at the display, but followed them into the kitchen anyway. "If it wasn't your idea, why are you wearing them?" she questioned, glancing about the kitchen.

"It was Misato's idea!" Both supplied immediately.

Hikari winced. "Why are you talking over each other?"

"It's part of-"

"One at a time!" Hikari cried, throwing up her hands and almost dropping the printouts she held. "For my sake!"

Both Asuka and Shinji opened their mouths to reply, but shut them, trading embarrassed glances.

After a moment, Shinji stepped forward, standing up a bit straighter. "Um… It's part of the training Ms. Katsuragi has us doing." He said quietly as Asuka nodded silently.

Hikari slumped a bit. "Oh."

There was a long, awkward silence before Shinji spoke up again. "So, um…Why are you here, Miss Horaki?" He asked, frowning a bit.

"O-oh right!" Hikari felt like hitting herself for almost forgetting why she'd come in the first place. "W-well, I'm here to deliver the printouts you've missed." Hikari waved the stack of papers, trying very hard to ignore how Asuka's lips moved in sync with Shinji's whenever he spoke. "H-here." She handed the stack of printouts to the boy, who proceeded to put them on the kitchen table before turning back to her.

"Oh, thanks…" He said, his voice slightly tired.

They stood there for a few moments in silence, unsure what else to say.

"W-well anyway, I should go now. You're training hard, and I shouldn't interrupt you more than necessary. And I need to deliver Suzuhara's printouts too, s-since he's been away."

Shinji perked up at that. "Toji wasn't at school?"

Hikari nodded nervously. "Y-yeah, so I'm going to go check up on him…" she trailed off awkwardly, jumping a bit when Asuka snapped her fingers. "A-anyway, I'll stop bothering you two, so…um…Goodbye!"

The two pilots watched in mild bemusement as the pigtailed girl practically dashed out the door and down the hall, her footsteps audible all the way to the elevators.

Once the footsteps faded away, silence reigned in the apartment.

Asuka broke the silence. "…She left her printouts here."

* * *

"We demand to speak to the pilot ourselves!" SEELE 08 barked, the distortion almost rendering him unintelligible at points. " We have given you more than ample time to investigate the events of the Fifth Angel battle, yet you come to us with mewling apologies for having turned up nothing!"

Gendo sat back in his chair, letting the Brazilian's angry words wash over him before he responded. "As I have said before, the investigation is covering unknown ground." He said calmly, pausing just long enough to cut off SEELE 08's indignant response. "It is only prudent to proceed cautiously, as the Third Child is still needed to pilot Unit-01."

SEELE 09 scoffed. "Still the same excuses!" The old American chided. "The abilities he has displayed could jeopardize everything this council has worked for, and yet you still wring your hands!"

It took a bit of effort for Gendo to not smile at the predictable jab. "If you wish for faster results, might you be able to furnish a replacement for him?" He asked calmly, tenting his hands in front of him. "A replacement would allow the investigation many faster options for learning the source of his abilities.

The dark room was silent for a long moment.

SEELE 03 coughed lightly. "Regardless, we do not believe that the 'difficulties' you report account for this incredible delay." The heavy distortion on her voice couldn't hide the creaks between her words. "As such, we will be sending another investigator to corroborate your claims."

Gendo raised an eyebrow. "Another investigator? Did you not already send Inspector Kaji?" He asked rhetorically, laying his hands flat on the desk.

"While the inspector is a capable man, we believe that he requires additional expertise in this area." SEELE 02 supplied.

Gendo felt a tiny bit of uncertainty flare deep in his stomach, but he quickly suppressed it. "Very well." He said, his expression calm and flat. "If you wish to send additional investigators, do so, though I assure you their findings will only support what I have already said."

"We will be the ones to judge that, Ikari." SEELE 01 spoke, his old, distorted voice filled with contempt. "Now, your presence is no longer required at this meeting."

With that, the monoliths disappeared one by one, with Kihl's the last to vanish.

Gendo sat in dark silence for a while after, pondering the words of the council and what he would need to do to counter their efforts. Honestly, the only real threat was Lorenz, as he had a stranglehold on the rest of the council. When Kihl said 'we', he really meant 'I'.

_What are they planning…?_

* * *

Kensuke wandered aimlessly through the quiet and empty school hall, lost in thought. _Man, it's been three days now. Where the heck is Touji? Is he sick or something? If he was, you'd think he'd tell me, so…_

"He's skipping school!? How could he?!"

Kensuke froze for a moment. Taking a quiet breath, he pressed against the wall and began sliding closer to the voices. _That's the class rep and…Mina, right? Who're they talking about?_

"It doesn't matter why Suzuhara's skipping, Horaki." The girl chided gently. "The fact is that he is, and I can prove it. I saw him at the library yesterday, and…

Kensuke frowned. _Since when the hell does Touji go to the library? And skips school to do it? _He pressed closer, almost sticking his head around the corner.

"He…he was in the romance section…" The girl trailed off dramatically.

"What? Are you sure?" The class rep breathed, the tiniest bit of hope in her tone.

_She's got to be lying._ Despite his disbelief, Kensuke peered around the corner, listening intently to the dark haired and slightly taller woman.

"Yeah, I saw him check a bunch out. I tried to talk to him on the way out, but he ignored me." The girl paused for a moment. "Anyway, I was feeling curious, so I looked them up, and…"

"…And?" Both Hikari and Kensuke were hanging off the girl's every word.

"They were all … _high-school romances._" Mina stated dramatically.

Kensuke felt like he'd been punched in the gut. _ No way…There's…there's no way that could've been him…_

"Really…?" Hikari's voice was so high it was almost piercing. "He really did that?"

"Yeah! But I don't get why!" Mina complained, shaking her head. "He's never been mushy, and he's _never _been a big reader, so what would he want with some trashy romance books?"

"….Maybe there's a girl he likes, and he's looking up ways to win her heart?" Hikari's voice was almost foolishly hopeful.

The pause that followed felt like an eternity. "…Horaki, nobody would ever be that stupid."

"It-it's still possible!" Hikari protested weakly.

"Ya-huh. Anyway…"

Their voices faded away as Kensuke turned and began walking back the way he'd come, rolling the horrible news over in his head again and again with every step. _Touji skipping school to check out books on romance? What the hell is happening?! Whatever it is, I've got to find out! For his sake!_

* * *

Shinji swallowed nervously, sitting up a little straighter in the Plug. The day of the attack had finally come, and at the near crack of dawn he and Asuka were herded into their Evangelions and marched out to the field, where they were told to wait patiently as the final checks and tests were done.

That had only been ten minutes ago, but the short stretch had felt like hours to the nervous pilot.

"_Alright, are both of you ready?" _Misato asked, her tone one that brooked no disobedience. _ "You both understand your roles in the battle?" _

"Yes Captain." Both pilots said in unison.

"_Good. We'll be starting in a few moments, so just _don't screw up."

Shinji nodded quickly, trying to look more confident than he really felt. "I won't." He stated firmly, setting his face in an expression the teen hoped made him look brave.

The radio was silent for a few moments, save for Asuka's brief noise of confusion.

"…_What?"_ Misato asked. _"What does that mean?"_

"Huh?" Shinji queried, his somewhat confident expression changing to one of confusion. "I-I meant that I won't fail the mission." He stated, his voice warbling a bit.

"…Oh." Misato stated awkwardly. "Well, that's good, Shinji."

The teen heard the faint sound of footsteps for a few moments. _ "Still it's a strange response to 'sit tight'…." _Misato mused, her voice quiet but still clearly audible to Shinji.

"S-sorry." Shinji apologized automatically, his brief flare of confidence now replaced by embarrassment.

Asuka sighed. _"Are you really sure you're okay? If you don't give it everything you've got we won't win." _ She chided gently, mindful of bringing Misato's wrath down on her.

"Y-yeah, I know." He said, recalling the days and days of non-stop training. "Sixty-two seconds, right?"

"Right. So calm down and focus." Asuka sniffed. "It won't do either of us any good if my wingman screws up halfway through because he's nervous."

"_Anyway…" _ Misato stated, her voice now firm once again. _"The final checks are complete, so get ready for battle."_

"Y-yes Ma'am!" Shinji nodded, setting his face back in the expression he hoped was brave.

"_Finally."_ Asuka snorted. _"Let's do this!"_

Shinji watched as the Angel's twin bodies came into view. _Here it comes…_

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

"_**Go!**__"_

At Misato's command, music began to play as both Evangelions dashed forward in perfect sync.

* * *

Shinji stared at the machine in silence, various memories of the past week rushed through his mind. Misato had told them to practice one more time 'just for the fun of it', and with a bit of prodding they'd reluctantly agreed.

That was when she'd told them they had to wear the ridiculous outfits again.

He shook his head and sighed. "At least after this we'll get to sleep in our own rooms this time." The teen took a deep breath and stepped forward, resignation clear in his face and his posture. He opened his mouth to call for Asuka, and-

"What in the blue hell are you wearing?!"

Shinji blinked. "…Gig?" He ventured slowly, torn between relief that he wasn't a murderer, and a looming sense of dread. "Y-You're alive?"

"Nooo, I'm actually a spoooooky-Of course I'm alive you idiot!" Gig cursed. "You think I'd let some lameass art project come to life take me down?"

"Third, who are you talking to?" Asuka called from the kitchen. "I thought I told you to clear any of your weird friends with me!"

Shinji's mouth worked as his mind desperately searched for a way to explain Gig that didn't make him sound insane. "OH…" He said weakly, his gaze snapping about the room as if searching for divine inspiration. "Um…well…it's not really like that, Asuka…I mean…he's not a-"

"A what?" Asuka asked curiously as she stepped into the room. "I'm serious Third, who did you…you…" The redhead trailed off, her displeased expression quickly changing to one of confusion as she looked about the room. "Okay, where did your friend go?" She sighed, fixing him with a tough look. "Seriously Third, I know I heard someone, so unless you've made a friend stupid enough to jump out the window, he should still be…what? What are you staring at?" Asuka shifted a little, feeling vaguely uncomfortable under her teammate's flat gaze.

"Kid…" Gig began, his tone extremely hesitant. "I'm…not sure I want to ask…" He spoke slowly and methodically, his words filling with something approximating stark horror as he continued. "But…Did…did you…" He sighed, resolving to go for broke. "Kid, did you score with this chick while I was out?"

Asuka blanched. "What!? How dare you say something so in-…" Her defensive insult abruptly derailed as she realized that was most definitely not the Third's voice. _The heck is going on? He invites a ventriloquist friend here who accuses me of sleeping with him? It's true that we slept in the same room, but I don't think Ikari is the type to bring even something like that up, so…_ She pounded her palm with a fist. _First things first, find this jerk and drag him out here!_

"…You_ did._" Gig whispered, watching in blank fascination as Asuka began thoroughly investigating the room for her quarry.

Shinji opened his mouth to say something, but remained silent as he failed to think of anything suitable.

"…Kid…" He began again after a few moments. "I…have to ask."

"What is it?" Shinji asked, feeling a vague sense of dread creep up his spine.

Gig sighed. "Don't you have _any_ standards?" He asked, using Shinji's left arm to gesture to Asuka as his voice filled with disappointment. "I mean, for one she looks like she fell out of the ugly tree."

Asuka stopped dead. "What." Slowly, she turned to Shinji, her face already beginning to fill with molten red outrage. "What did you just say?!" Her desire to punch him in the face was only held back by the fact that the Third, for the near month she'd worked with him, was never that rude…and never that gravelly. He'd have to swallow at least ten pounds of assorted rocks to get that scratchy.

"I mean, just look at her!" Gig spoke, now in full-on lecture mode. "The hair's all wrong, her body is barely worth mentioning, that face just screams 'harpy', and that _voice!_ God, you could scatter an army with that shrill screech!" Gig complained vehemently, completely unaware of what was going on in front of him.

If Gig had given Asuka even a cursory glance by this point, he'd have seen a redhead on the verge of explosion. The colour of her face was already past red and was closing in quickly on purple. Her mouth was doing its best imitation of a boiling kettle. Her eyes were set in such a powerful glare, that if her brow furrowed any deeper it would be through her skull.

Her course was set now. She would_ ruin_ this smart mouthed jackass, even if it meant her teammate would be sacrificed in the process. She would hear that gravel voice begging for her forgiveness, no matter what.

_He. Will. Pay._

* * *

"_Wake up, Mr. Wolfe. You have a job to do."_

Wolfe had only dimly recognized that someone was speaking to him when a blast of ice cold water struck him in the face like a hammer blow. He was barely able to suppress a scream as his scarred face throbbed with absolutely blistering pain.

"Oh good, you're alive. You're so pale, it was kind of hard to tell."

"Who the hell are you?" Wolfe coughed, his face throbbing as dark strands of hair fell into his vision. "And where the hell am I?"

"Oh, you're among friends for now, Mr. Wolfe, don't worry."

"Friends, huh?" The man chuckled a bit. "Good to know I've got friends who'll step in after I've been frog-marched in front of a wall." He closed his eyes, the memory of the event clear as crystal. "Hell, the only reason those troops didn't kill me was because they were going to bring me before the UN."

"Mmm…Yes." The man agreed, using the same tone of voice one would use when talking about the weather. "Unfortunately, it seems they just couldn't take the chance of you escaping. According to the press releases, they blew your transport up while you were still locked inside." There was a sound of papers rustling. "In fact, the press is lauding your death as a blow for decency. There's a full page spread with pictures of you and everything, along with a general consensus that the men who killed you are 'heroes'."

Wolfe shook his head, a good natured grin on his pale face. "Well, I can't blame them for thinking I'd escape on the way. My boys would've done the same." He laughed harshly, almost coughing for a moment. "Well, minus the part about the target surviving, of course."

"Well, I suppose you're the only one who'd know now." The man sighed, his voice filled with false sympathy. "What with the unfortunate business that Gale got itself mixed up in." He shrugged. "Then again, I suppose it had to happen sometime."

Wolfe felt a spike of dread shoot through him. "What?" He looked up, craning his neck to catch even a glimpse of his captor's face.

The man abruptly turned away from him. "Well, I'm sure even you know that the future of even the strongest wind is unpredictable. A roaring gale that's here today, might well be gone tomorrow." He put his hands up, as if to say 'what can you do'. "You know?"

In a flash, Wolfe knew exactly what this dramatic idiot was dancing around. _…So my boys and I are effectively dead._ His mind flashed over the various accounts they kept all over the planet, and the millions hidden within._ If I'm supposedly dead, and the boys are definitely dead, then the money is probably either frozen or already being raided at this point._ He grimaced at the thought of his ill-gotten fortune being used to finance some fat cat's third mansion and eighth marriage. _Damn it…all that money…_

"Is something the matter, Mr. Wolfe?" The man leaned in close, giving Wolfe a pressing desire to rip his smug throat out. "You look as if you've been caught cheating at a high-stakes poker game."

Wolfe tried very hard to get his head up high enough to glare at his captor. "Just drop the act and tell me what the deal is."

The man chuckled good-naturedly. "A clever choice of words, Mr. Wolfe. In brief, my employer wishes to speak with a certain 'someone'. However, this certain 'someone' is very hard to get a hold of." The man spun around, his beige coat flaring dramatically. "That, is why you are here."

Wolfe had a distinct feeling the man was being vague at this point solely to piss him off. "If you want me to kidnap someone just come out and say it." He coughed, wishing he still had his cigarettes. "Don't keep wasting my time with fake politeness."

"Very well." The man sighed, shaking his head once again. "If you want to think of it that way, then yes, that is exactly what we want."

Wolfe snorted._ Took him long enough._ "Out of curiosity, what if I say no?"

"Hmm…Then I'd have to say that those reports of your death would be completely accurate."

Wolfe kept silent as he mulled over his situation._ Even if I do manage to somehow kill him and escape, I'm damn near guaranteed to be without a red cent to my name. Plus, with my picture all over the news, the second anyone sees me I'll have damn near the whole world out for my blood, and without any cash… _He chuckled weakly. _I've got to admit, they did a hell of a job boxing me in._ "Alright, say I'm in for it, who the hell am I kidnapping that's so hard for your 'employer' to get that he needs me to do it?"

A plastic card was shoved under his nose. "They say a picture is worth a thousand words, Mr. Wolfe, and I'm inclined to agree. What about you?"

It took a moment for Wolfe to recognise the teenager on the card, but when he did, his jaw dropped open. "You want this kid? Is your boss mental or something?" He'd made it a priority for Gale to keep up on world affairs, and he'd dumped buckets of money on people to make that happen. Thanks to that, he knew just how important the boy on the card was. "This kid's going be covered in guards in one of the safest places in the world, and you want me to just waltz in and nab him off the street?"

"So you refuse?" The man's voice was cold as ice and about half as welcoming.

Wolfe sniffed weakly. "Hey, don't go putting words in my mouth. I'll do your little job, but don't expect it to be quick and painless."

Just like that, the man was all smiles again. "It's so nice to work with someone so agreeable." The man walked behind him and unlocked his shackles. "Don't worry, Mr. Ladro. You won't be doing this all by yourself. Your skills are great, but we understand how you might require help in this scenario."

Wolfe rubbed his wrists, wincing slightly as the aches and bruises of the last few days caught up with him. "What kind of help? And what's with the 'Ladro' thing?"

The man snapped his fingers, filling the room with blinding light.

Once Wolfe's eyes adjusted, he was confronted by the sight of a wall-to-wall mirror. He took a moment to give the six foot, blond and blue-eyed bastard in a dirty, ragged suit staring back at him a once-over. _Heh, would ya look at that. I both look **and** feel like hell._ He chuckled a bit, drawing a strange glance from his captor-turned-employer. _Still, it's a damn sight better than young me._ He shook his head at the memory. _I still can't believe the blue hair dye and tattoos. Maybe I **did** want to get shot back then…_

A meaningful cough drew his attention back to his employer. Short brown hair, brown eyes, ambiguous skin tone… Wolfe covered his laugh with a cough. _Shit, if this guy was any more average he'd be a statistic._

"If you're done admiring yourself, may we get down to business?" The unremarkable and unthreatening man said. "I'm sure you have questions about the specifics of your employment."

Wolfe shrugged. "Sure. First, what the hell is the 'Ladro' thing about?"

The man produced a card from his jacket pocket, handing it over without a word. On it was a picture of Wolfe, but with shorter black hair, darker skin, and hazel eyes. Next to the picture was the name 'Diego Ladro', and a bunch of completely made up stats.

Wolfe stared at the card for several moments, already laying out the groundwork for the kidnapping. _So I've got a fake ID, and I'm going to get a makeover to match…_ He looked up at the man. "It's nice of you to make it so I won't be shot on sight, but there's still the problem of getting close to the kid in the first place."

"Already taken care of." The man stepped closer, a conspiratorial grin on his lips. "Tell me, Mr. Ladro. What do you know about security?"

* * *

_Okay, I waited four months and this is what I get? If I don't make an appearance soon, my agent is getting a SERIOUS talking-to._


	9. BEST

**Chapter BEST: A day in the life.**

"Kid, I want waffles." Gig said.

"no." Shinji said.

"You bastard." Gig said.

"How unoriginal." Asuka smirked.

"I'll kill you." Gig yelled.

"My life sucks." Thought Shinji, as Gig began yelling curse words from the 80's.

END

Author's notes: See you all next month!


	10. I Never Asked for This

_**Chapter 8: Grand Occasion (I didn't ask for this)**_

"What's wrong, Hikari?" Asuka asked, joining her friend as they left the front of the school. "You look down."

Hikari sighed, her shoulders slumping a bit. "Oh, the school trip got cancelled, that's all."

"Wait, what?!" Asuka barked, her hands immediately tightening into fists. She stepped closer to her friend as they walked, making the brunette lean away a tiny bit.

"Apparently, we can't afford it anymore." Hikari muttered crossly, taking a quick step away as the two continued their walk across the school grounds.

Asuka opened her mouth to shout some more, but stopped herself. "Anymore?" She asked, frowning suspiciously. "How does that work?"

Hikari nodded. "Well, we were supposed to go to Okinawa this year. " She explained quietly, slowing down a bit. "The school agreed to pay half the cost if we raised enough for the other half." She glared at the school for a moment as the two of them passed under a cherry tree. "Well, we managed to get the money, but now it doesn't matter. " She sighed, a note of disgust in her voice. "We were really looking forward to it, but now some thief went and ruined it all."

Asuka glanced at the school for a moment before perking up. "Wait, a thief? How do you know it was stolen?"

"Oh..." Hikari scratched the back of her neck, looking sheepish all of a sudden. "Um...I overheard some of the teachers talking, and they said that the money for it just went missing. The way they were talking, we had it all ready to pay for the trip, then all of a sudden, poof, its gone."

"Whaaaaaaat?" Asuka cocked her head, her face screwed up in a frown of confusion. "Wouldn't they have...insurance or something for stuff like that?"

Hikari pshawed. "They made us pay for half of the trip. You really think those cheap jerks would buy insurance for it?" She opened her mouth to continue, but she stopped herself. She took a deep breath, sighing bitterly after a moment. "I'm sorry for being so snippy. It's just...I was really looking forward to it, and now..."

Asuka opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the ringing of the bell.

Silently, Hikari turned and began walking back towards the school, resignation clear in her poise. "Come on Asuka." She called morosely, not bothering to turn around. "We still have to go to class, even if its run by a bunch of stingy jerks."

Asuka grimaced, but followed her friend, fuming silently the whole way back.

* * *

"...So it was actually a trick to make the guy get worked up enough to do it? Huh...never thought of it like that..."

Toji turned the page, studiously examining the book. "And then she says she loves him too, they kiss, and...that's it." He frowned, closing the book and tossing it onto the pile in the corner. "So, it's like the other books on this stuff...the same stuff happens, at least in the end."

He turned over on his bed, staring blankly at the wall. _But all those guys did different things...so what do I do? Do I surprise some blonde girl with a confession? Rescue some brunette from danger? Make lunch for a redhead?_

He stood up, walking to his closed door and turned around, surveying his room like he'd just moved in. "Man...Even learning about dating doesn't help. Woulda been better iffn I just waited around..." He sighed, idly playing with his sleeve as he leaned against the door. "Then I wouldn't have to do all that work with the girl..." The jock paused for a moment, hearing footsteps on the other side of the door. "At least now she won't be a problem."

He pushed off the door and walked back to the bed, sitting down after a moment. He regarded the books in the corner keenly, drumming his fingers on his thigh. _So, I just need to do what those books say and I'll get a girlfriend no problem. Then I just gotta-_

"Toji? Are you alright?" Asked an old voice from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, Granddad." Toji replied automatically, his tone instantly cocky. "I told you, no cold's gonna keep me down!"

"You were running a fever for two days!" The old voice shot back. "That ain't just some cold!"

"Yeah Yeah." The jock replied dismissively. "'It's not just some cold, you should see a doctor, you're not fit to go outside.' " He jeered, his tone drier to imitate the old man. "but, iffn you don't remember, you're the one who checked on me and found out it was gone yesterday morning."

The old man growled in frustration. "Why in the hell did my son raise you to be so foolish?" He complained bitterly. "If your mother was still around, she'd have never let you grow up to be so damn dumb!"

Silence filled the air for several moments.

"...I'm sorry, grandson." The old man said quietly. "I...I shouldn't have said that."

"It's...it's okay grandad." The jock said, his voice just as quiet. "I...I know you're just concerned, is all. And yer probably right about what Ma'd say, too." He took a breath, his tone back to normal when he spoke up again. "But I'm fine, and there's no reason to worry sis if I can help it."

"Toji..." The old man began reproachfully. "She wouldn't-"

"She'd find out. I know it." Toji paused, sighing quietly as he laid down on the bed. "I'm sorry for bein such a hassle, but I really am fine."

The old man sighed in defeat. "Alright. Just...don't do this again. For all our sakes."

"...Yes, grandpa."

The old man didn't reply, leaving the fading sound of footsteps the only thing the jock heard for a little while.

Once they were gone, the jock waited a few moments before he sat up on the bed.

_So, all I have to do is get a girlfriend, and then anything I do after, I can pass it off as doing it cause I love my girlfriend. That way, I can look around for him without getting caught or having to be all sneaky about it._

"...Who do I choose? I...He didn't know anybody like in these books..." After a moment, Toji shook his head and laid down on the bed, closing his eyes. _Guess I'll start tomorrow._

* * *

Shinji staggered into the living room and slumped into a convenient chair, sweaty, exhausted, and aching. _Don't ever…want…to go running…again… _He sighed deeply. _I'm just going to sit here, and not talk to anybody. That way, I won't get dragged into another fight with Asuka. _ He smiled at the thought, only to frown as he realized something._ Oh right…Gig's not asleep._

"Hey!" Gig yelled, his voice drier than normal. "Redbeat! Get me a drink!"

"More like, you get _me_ a drink!" Asuka yelled back from the kitchen.

"Kid, don't let her give us that cross-talk!" Gig complained, gesturing in the redhead's general direction.

Shinji sighed, sinking deeper into the chair. _Why does this keep happening__**.**_He shut his eyes with a quiet groan. _ Is it really so hard for them to get along?_

"Dammit kid, you gotta stand up for us more." Gig complained, his voice full of spite. "I can't do all the work here! I mean, look at how she's acting! She's walking all over us!"

On cue, Asuka came in, a glass of red juice in her hand. She made a show of displaying the icy drink as she walked over to another chair and sat down, a mile-wide grin on her face as she picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

"So, what should we watch?" She said, her tone as saccharine as the smile she wore.

"As if I'd watch something you'd enjoy!" Gig snorted derisively. "It's probably disgusting, much like your…hair."

_This is like the sixth time this has happened….And I think he's used that before._

Asuka snickered at the half-baked insult. "Oh, that's too bad." She giggled, clearly delighting in the growl she provoked. "Well, how about I try to find something we can both enjoy. Okay?" She said sweetly.

Gig groaned in agony. "Y'know what, I'm not dealing with this anymore! Kid, I'm taking off. You deal with her."

Shinji sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. _And once again, it ends with him going off to sulk. At least its predictable._ He glanced over to the kitchen. I_ should probably get something to drink…_

There were a few moments of silence until Asuka spoke up. "So that's what, the fourth time he's said that?" Asuka chuckled briefly. "Doesn't he get the fact that I'm better than him yet?"

Shinji sighed. "I don't know." He rasped, feeling extremely hot. He thought about getting some water, but he couldn't make himself get up. "I don't really…listen to him most of the time."

Asuka looked thoughtful for a moment, then set her icy drink down and stood up. Without a word, she went into the kitchen, only to come back moments later with a glass of water.

"Here." She said, offering it to him. "You look like you need it."

* * *

"And here are your printouts." The brunette chirped as the last few papers left her hands. "Don't forget to finish them for next week."

"Thanks, Miss Horaki." Shinji said, taking the papers and stuffing them into his bag.

"You're welcome, but I'm just doing my job." Hikari said, her smile turning into a bit of a frown as she looked about the nearly empty classroom. "I just wish people would stick around until I was done." She sighed, turning to leave.

"Hmmm…." Gig hummed thoughtfully as Shinji stood up.

"Huh?" Hikari turned back at that noise, backing up a step once she caught the strange look on Shinji's face. "W-why are you staring at me like that?" She said, a blush beginning to creep onto her cheeks.

Shinji started at her question. "Oh. Um…" He said, trailing off as his hands lay frozen on his desk.

The two stood there in silence for a few moments, feeling intensely awkward as the din of the school slowly died down.

Hikari broke the silence first, her blush now pronounced. "W-Well…" She said, slowly sliding towards the door. "I need to go see the teacher, so-"

"Hey what would you say to a date?" Gig spoke up, freezing the brunette in her tracks.

Extremely slowly, Hikari turned back to Shinji. "…A…A…date…?" She said slowly, shock warring with embarrassment on her red face. "Like…a…"

"Yes. A date." Gig said, making sure to pronounce every word as slowly and clearly as possible. "Like, A date, this weekend, with just us two. Or something."

Hikari swallowed nervously, her cheeks now burning a bright, fiery red. "Umm…w-well, I…I'm not doing much, so…I guess…" She stumbled over her words, barely resisting the urge to hide her face in her hands like a little girl.

"Oh, so it's a _yes?_" Gig said, delighting in Hikari's hard fought battle to keep her eyes from squeezing shut in embarrassment. "Not to answer _for _you or anything."

"Umm…I…y-yes…" Hikari mumbled quietly, her blush now so strong it was almost purple. Her nails dug into her palms as her gaze darted about the room, as if in search of something to talk about.

"Cool." Gig said easily. "So, what're you in the mood for? Movie? Concert?" He grinned evilly. "Or maybe something a little more…_personal?"_ He called, barely keeping the snickers out of his voice as the brunette shivered. "Hey, don't worry! I'm fine with anything, I_ promise!_"

"Ah…um…" The poor brunette stuttered, looking like she was about to melt down in embarrassment until her furtive gaze caught sight of the clock. Relief momentarily washed over her features as she opened her mouth to speak. "I-I just remembered! I have…an appointment soon! I'm sorry, but I have to go!"

With that, the overwhelmed girl dashed out of the classroom, hiding her face with her hands.

About a minute or so after Gig mostly stopped snickering, Shinji managed to speak up.

"…Why did you-"

"Welp, did my part, up to you now kid." Gig cut him off, still snickering a bit.

It took Shinji a while to parse that statement. "…Up to me? But…you asked her out." He said, a note of depression creeping into his voice.

Gig snorted. "Yeah, but lemme ask you this: does_ she_ know that?" He drawled, waiting a moment before continuing. "No? Well, that means she has to think _you_ asked. Sides, if you remember, she said yes. "

"…Oh." Shinji felt like he could be knocked over with a feather.

_She really did say yes, so…so…. _ It was an attractive thought, and yet at the same time Shinji couldn't ignore his growing dread as his imagination began to run through all the ways to completely screw it up. So, to avoid thinking about it too hard, he decided to ask Gig a question he'd tried earlier. "But, why did you…do it?"

Gig coughed. "Because you _clearly_ need a lesson in quality." He sniffed derisively, pausing a moment before continuing. "Seriously, redhead=lame. Get that drilled into your head. I mean, first off-"

As Gig launched into a full lecture on the moral, personal, and physical failings of redheads, Shinji picked up his bag and walked out of the classroom, lost in thought. Completely ignoring Gig, his mind replayed what had happened over and over on the way home, coming to the same conclusion every time.

It was about the point he arrived at the apartment door that he realized something.

…_She said yes. Gig asked her, but Hikari thought I asked, so she really said it to me._

_She actually said yes. Not to Gig. To me._

_Me. I._

…

…

…_Oh god what do I __**do.**_

* * *

Asuka stomped down the quiet city street, stewing over the day's events. "I can't believe the nerve of him!" She muttered angrily, kicking a stray can. "As if I didn't have enough problems, he tries to ask me out by acting like I'm some prize he can walk in with?"

"_It still wasn't very nice to tell him off like that."_

Asuka sighed dramatically, ducking into the shade of a building. "Well I had to set an example, or I'd be forced to deal with stupid idiots like that every day!" She waved a hand dismissively. "Besides, I'm sure he still has all his teeth. It's not like he tried to ask out Hikari or something."

"_So, does that mean you have to interview anybody your friends like?"_

Asuka sighed, shaking her head. "No you ninny, I can trust her to-"

The redhead stopped dead as her eyes shot wide open. Very slowly, she turned a full 360 degrees, taking pains to examine her surroundings in the greatest detail. Everything she saw led her to only one conclusion.

She was standing on an empty street.

"…Who am I talking to?" She ventured tentatively, keeping her voice down in case this was some prank to make her look like a fool.

"_Me! ...I think!"_ The voice chirped. Its tone was bright and cheery, but whoever it belonged to sounded like an absolute ditz, or a space case at best. _"I mean, I don't see anybody else around, so it has to be me, right?"_

Asuka took a deep breath and squinted, casting her gaze around the street. _She has to be hiding somewhere, but where? And how can she be so loud?_

"_What are you doing?"_

"Looking for you." The redhead said firmly, a hand on her chin. "Where are you hiding?"

"_Oh, we're playing hide'n'seek?" _It chirped giddily. _"Goody! I'll hide over…over…uh…um…"_ The voice trailed off.

"What?" Asuka's brow furrowed. "What are you going on about now?"

"_Er…Uh…um…I'm….not sure we can play this game." _The quiet voice said sadly.

"…Really?" Asuka said, deciding to play along. "Well, tell me where you are, and I'll do the rest."

"_Uh…I…I'm not really sure." _The voice admitted, a hint of unease in its tone. _"I'm…next to a big pole…and a window with a sign in it…" _The voice paused. _"I think it says closed…and there's some tiny writing on the side."_

Asuka looked left, stiffening a bit as she spied a telephone pole to her side. Slowly, she turned to her right, finding a shop window with a CLOSED sign hanging in the centre. The redhead had to bend forward until her forehead nearly touched the glass to realize that 'good riddance' was written in the corner.

Asuka clenched her fists. "How can you not be sure? You're practically next to me!" she hissed.

"_I am?"_ The voice chirped. _"Then…how come I can't see you?"_

Asuka opened her mouth to start shouting, but stopped as she felt a presence behind her. She turned, only to find nothing. "…You can't see me?" She asked, her face twisting into a frown.

"_Well…"_ The voice seemed to struggle for words._ "It's…like…I know you're here, but I can't see you. You know?"_

Dread crept down the redhead's spine as she felt the presence behind her again. _No…No, it can't be…_ Very slowly, she raised her hand. "What do you see now?" She asked, her throat suddenly dry.

"_Well, now I can see the back of a hand."_ The voice supplied helpfully. _ "But everything else's the same, if that helps."_

Black fear began to build in the pit of Asuka's stomach. "…Please tell me you aren't in my head." She whispered, feeling her shoulders start to shake.

"_Oh! That would explain a lot!" _The voice chirped brightly. _"Like how I can't see you but I know you're there and all that stuff I heard and that weird night-"_

"Oh god you are." Asuka rasped, already not listening to the voice._ I'm going crazy. Oh god I'm hearing voices and they'll find out and they're gonna yank me off the pilot roster and lock me up and I'll be __**worthless and forgotten and alone and-**_

"_Stop shouting!"_

"H-huh?" Asuka blinked, startled by the voice's sudden cry. She straightened, looking around a bit to realize the street was still empty. "I wasn't shouting…" Her eyes went wide. "Wait, you can read my thoughts?"

"_You were so shouting!" _The voice accused. _"You were so loud and scary and sad and scared and-…and…and…"_ The voice ground to a halt, like it was trying to focus.

There were a few moments of silence before the voice groaned quietly. "_…What were we talking about?"_

"…I asked if you could read my thoughts." On cue, Asuka's stomach growled. The image of a nice, big steak floated through her mind, and she nearly started to drool before she realized it could be a way to test this 'voice'. "What am I thinking about right now?" She asked, concentrating very hard on visualizing the steak.

"_Huh? Thinking? Um…um…" _The voice hummed in concentration. _"…you're thinking about…about…oh, I'm too hungry to think right now." _It sighed. _"Can we get something to eat?"_

Asuka straightened, narrowing her eyes. "Hmm…" _She guessed food, but that's too general to tell me anything useful. I need something that it would have to…'be me' to know…Wait, that's it! _"Hey, voice. If I'm crazy, you should know my past, right?"

"_Huh? Um…maybe?" _The voice agreed amiably. _"If I really am a part of you, I guess it's possible….maybe it's a kind of mental disassociation from your current life and-"_

"Yeah yeah that's great." She cut the voice off, rolling her eyes a bit. "What I mean is, what did Mr. Kaji get me for my birthday?"

"_Um….Mr. Kaji? Your birthday?"_ The voice said uncertainly. _"…uh…I don't know."_

"…You don't know." She said flatly._ It's my sundress._ She put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. "You're sure."

"_Um…was it a fluffy teddy bear?"_

"…You don't know." Asuka blinked, her mouth falling open a bit. "You don't know? How can you be some crazy thing my mind cooked up if you don't know something so important?!"

"_Well, I just don't!" _It chirped. _"So I guess you're not going crazy?"_

Asuka sighed, her shoulders drooping. "I guess." She thought for a moment. _How can this voice not be something I cooked up? Is it a ghost? If it is, who's it a ghost of? _An image of Shinji sniggering flashed through her mind, andshe frowned. _…Hang on._

"Hey." Asuka said quietly.

"_Huh?"_

"What's your name?"

"_My…name?"_ It said slowly.

"Yeah. A name." the redhead rolled her hand. "Like Ann, or Adel, or Bridgette. You know, a name?"

"_Oh yeah!"_ The voice chirped in sudden understanding. _"My name is…it is….uhhhhh….My name…ummm…"_ It trailed off.

Asuka generously gave it a few moments of silence before speaking up. "Well?"

"_I…I can't remember…" _ It offered helplessly.

Asuka frowned. "How can you not remember?" She chided. "It's your name!"

"_I'm trying! But I'm drawing a total blank!" _the bright voice said, sounding deeply strained._ " It…its like…I-I-I don't have a nameeeeeee!" _It wailed pitifully.

"I-I didn't mean-" Asuka tried to backpedal.

"_I-I don't know who I aaammm!" _ The voice began to sob, ignoring the flustered redhead. _"I don't know who I am and I'm not a person and I'm not real and-"_

"Oh geez, uh…" Asuka said quickly, trying to ignore the waves of guilt and embarrassment the sobs created in her. "L-look, I'll give you a name! Just stop crying!" She pleaded desperately.

"_R-really?" _ It hiccupped.

"Y-yes!" She said quickly, looking around for inspiration as her mind worked. "Um…how does Red strike you?" she said, a bit more forcefully than she wanted.

"…_Red?"_ The voice sniffed. _"Why 'Red'?"_

Asuka brought up her hand, index finger raised and an explanation on her lips, only to pause as she opened her mouth. "Umm…because it's …short?" She offered weakly, unsure herself just why she'd said it.

"_Red…"_ The voice hummed thoughtfully._ "Actually…I like it!"_ Red chirped, now happy again.

"You do?" the redhead asked, slightly unnerved by the voice's…_Red's_ sudden happiness.

"_Yeah!"_ Red said enthusiastically. _"It…fits me! Somehow!"_

"Oh." Asuka said, shrugging as her feelings of guilt were assuaged. "Well, it's great that you like it, because until you remember your real name, I'll be calling you that, okay?" She smiled a bit, hoping it would keep the voi…_Red_ from crying again.

"_Okay!"_ Red chirped. _ "So, what should we do now?"_

The redhead thought for a moment. I_f…Red really isn't something I dreamed up, I have to find out more about it. But I can't question her here…if anyone showed up, I'd…._ She shivered a little. _I need someplace private to do this…I know!_

"_Um, hello?"_

Asuka cleared her throat, her eyes scanning the area as she did. "Well, Misato and Shinji are probably wondering where I am by now, and its not like I have anything I really want to do." The redhead announced smoothly. "So, I'm just going to go home."

"_Yay!"_

Asuka, now armed with a plan in mind, turned for home, walking with her head held high and a slightly forced smile on her face.

Ten seconds after she turned the corner, the shop door opened, revealing a tall man with short black hair and dark skin. He stepped out into the afternoon sun, clad in a black suit and sunglasses.

In his hand was a notepad and pencil.

* * *

Asuka opened the apartment door quietly, feeling a bit drained after her talk with...Red on the way back. Actually, 'talk' wasn't really the right word. It was more like Asuka felt a bit drained after listening to Red's impromptu lecture series on nearly everything she saw on the way back.

_It's like her head is stuffed with rainbows and sunshine, she's so aggravatingly cheerful. ...Wait, that would make it __**my**__ head that's filled with rainbows and..._ She stopped for a moment, and shook her head. _ This is confusing._

"_We're home!" _Red called cheerily. _"Okay, now you say it!"_

Asuka rolled her eyes, but decided to humour the cheery voice. She took a breath, and-

"You're absolutely sure you're okay?" Misato said, her voice calm and even as it came from the kitchen. "You seem a bit on edge, Shinji."

The greeting died on Asuka's lips as her ears perked up. _Hm? What are they talking about?_

"I-it's nothing Misato. I'm just...thinking. Y-Yeah, that's it, so don't worry." Shinji practically tripped over his words, his tone nervous and panicky.

Asuka put a hand on her chin. _That's the Third, but what's he mumbling about? _She narrowed her gaze. _And why is he trying to lie about it, too?_

"_Maybe he's just embarrassed about something?"_ Red supplied helpfully. _ "People say all kinds of stuff when they're embarrassed! It's like a science fact!"_

Ignoring her passenger, Asuka snuck up to the edge of the front hallway. She pressed against the wall, intently listening.

"Really? Because it seems like...are you listening to me?"

"_Helloooooo?"_ Red called. _"Answer? Asuka? Please?"_

* * *

Misato cleared her throat. "What's wrong, Shinji? You seem a bit distracted."

Shinji jumped a bit and looked back across the kitchen table, the flash of red he'd seen already fading in his mind. He gulped, noticing how the woman was sizing him up. "Um…N-nothing M-Misato…It's nothing." The young teen said, trying to force a smile. "Like I said, I'm just...thinking. It's not really important."

She smirked. "Now I know you're hiding something." Her eyes glittered mischievously as he refused to meet her gaze. "What, didn't you know how big and round your eyes get when you lie to my face?" She shook her head a little, rolling her eyes at how the young teen's mouth fell open. "Come on, you can tell me!"

"Um…" He shifted in his seat, looking about the room.

"Well?" She rolled her hand. "Out with it!"

"…I…I…" He stuttered, staring at his shoes for a moment before shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath.

Misato frowned, narrowing her gaze. "Look, do I have to-"

"IwastalkingwiththeclassrepafterschoolandIaskedher outonadatenextweekandIdon'tknowwhattodo." His answer came out in a panicked rush, leaving him gasping for air at the end. After a moment, he looked up at Misato, curious despite his reservations as to what she'd say.

Misato's mouth fell open for a few moments as she tried to parse what the young man had said. Once she did though, it curved into a smile almost too big for her face. "Aw, so _that's_ why you were acting so suspicious! I knew you had it in you!" She cheered, her eyes sparkling in delight. "And you're looking for advice on what to do, right?" She drawled, pointing at him lazily.

Shinji's blush worsened, and he looked away. "Um…I...I just don't...I m-mean..." He trailed off, his jaw continuing to work as he tried and failed to think of something to say.

"Now now, no need to be shy about it!" Misato chided lightly, waving a finger at the boy. "After all, you've come to the right person! Alright, the first thing you want to do is-"

* * *

_(MEANWHILE)_

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh what should I wear!?" Hikari cried as she searched through her closet, throwing everything she found onto her bed in a haphazard pile.

"Calm down, sis!" Kodama chuckled, watching her sister dash about like a panicking chicken. "It's not a big deal!"

"IT IS! IT TOTALLY IS! HE ASKED ME OUT AND I _HAVE NOTHING TO __**WEAR!**_" Hikari shrieked, throwing the last of the clothes on the bed. "_Look_ at these! They're terrible!" She pointed a shaky finger at the several dozen school uniforms before sweeping over to the few dresses she had, which were in various muted, dull colours. "I can't show up wearing any of these! He'll laugh, or worse he'll think I'm making fun of him!"

The older, ponytailed brunette sighed, sinking a little deeper into her chair. _I dash home after sis calls in a total panic and it's for __**this?**_"He's not going to-"

"YES HE IS!" The girl cried, picking up one of the dowdiest dresses there. "Look at this!" She shakily held the dress against herself, almost looking like a sock with arms as she continued to work herself up. "ItsterribleandhellhateitandleaveandIllbesittingth ereandIllcryandmakeafoolofmyselfandI'llgrowoldandg reyanddieallalone-"

"ENOUGH!" Kodama said forcefully, standing up from her chair once she was sure Hikari was paying attention.

"B-but..." the young lady tried to protest. "He...He'll...I..."

Rather than reply, Kodama held out a hand to stop her sister's aimless squawking. "Look, sis." She spoke calmly and evenly, fixing the young brunette with a flat stare. "It's fine. Yerlookin fine. The dress is fine. Everythin'. _Is._ _**Fine.**_"

"It is?" Hikari asked, slightly mollified. "But…"

Kodama pointed to the mirror, putting on a practised smile as she did. "Look, half the work's done right here! Heck, I reckon yer pretty enough that yer could walk out there wearin' nothin but yer uniform and wow the lucky guy! No earrins', or makeup, or lipstick, and he'd still be fallin all over ya!" She put a calming hand on Hikari's shoulders. "Ya could be neckin with 'im in some dark movie theatre, or finding yerselves a nice corner in some ritzy cafe joint, wouldn't matter! Yer jus' have to be confident, and it'll go smooth as silk, kay?"

"…Really?" Hikari opined hopefully, a shy smile on her face as she took in her sisters words. "Even if I didn't have any…any..." She trailed off, her smile turning into a look of absolute panic. "OHMYGOSH I DON'T HAVE ANY MAKEUP OR SHOES OR EARRINGS AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Kodama just groaned in exhaustion as her sister once again began running around like a headless chicken.

* * *

(BACK IN THE APARTMENT)

"_Hikari...Hikari...Oh! That's your friend, right?"_ Red asked obliviously. _"The class repres...reperes...rep..." _She paused for a moment. _"...the lady that hands out all the papers? Pigtails? Stern? Always wearing her uniform?"_

Asuka's mouth dropped open._ …He asked her out?_ She clenched her fists, her gaze narrowing slightly as an angry invective began to build in the pit of her stomach. _ Just like that? How could he say something so embarrassing?_

"…Hello?" Red asked quietly. "Are you okay?"

_Does he have no shame!?_

"_Um…you're clenching your fists pretty hard...Oh! Are you mad? ...You're mad aren't you."_ Red thought for a moment. _"Is this about your friend?"_

Instead of answering the confused voice, Asuka stepped out from the front hall with an angry tirade on her lips.

"Hey! Third!"

* * *

"Okay, so now that we've covered the introduction, what you want to do next is-"

"Hey! Third!" Asuka called, proudly stepping out from the front hall. "What do you think you're doing asking MY friend out like that!"

Shinji practically leapt out of his chair in fright. " A-Asuka!? When did you get here?!" He stammered, mouth agape as he backed away from her.

Misato, for her part, just chuckled. "Well well, Asuka, i didn't know you got to choose dates for your friends." She paused for a moment, humming thoughtfully. "Or...maybe you're just jealous that it's not _you?_" She grinned mischievously, leaning back a little farther in her chair.

Asuka had the decency to look shocked for a moment before scoffing. "What? As if I'd be jealous!" She crossed her arms, turning away with an exaggerated huff, tossing her hair for good measure. "I'm only interested in great men like Mr. Kaji, not a good little boy like him!"

"_Are you sure?" _Red piped up, her tone thoughtful._ "He's pretty nice, he's your teammate, he's got that cool guy in his head, he cooks good food... Doesn't all that count for something?"_

"Like I said, good does not equal great!" Asuka humphed, dismissively tossing her head just in time to miss Misato and Shinji's confused faces. "High standards are important for a pilot like me!" Once she was sure her blush was gone, she turned back, crossing her arms and gazing disapprovingly at her teammate. "And you simply do not meet them! S-So there!"

While Shinji just sat there looking confused, Misato's mischievous grin returned in a flash. "Ohhhh...well then, Asuka... If you aren't jealous, what's the problem?" She shrugged expansively, leaning back a little into her chair.

"The problem is that I'm concerned for my friend and what this...idiot might do to her!" She huffed, pointing at Shinji for good measure. "Not that I'm jealous of her, which I'm NOT!"

"Suuuuuure you are." Misato nodded slowly, rolling her eyes as she did. "Hmmm...Hold on...Maybe..." She grinned like a shark as she tapped her nose playfully. "...Could it be that _you've_ got eyes for her? I mean, not that I would object or anything..."

"What!?" Asuka blanched, while Shinji's face turned bright red. "No! How could you even think that?!"

"Hm..." Misato tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Then, did you have someone else in mind for him?" She questioned, her eyes glinting with satisfaction as she watched her ward's face twist and twitch. "Oh! Maybe...you thought he was batting for the other-"

"No! NO NO NO! I did not have anyone else in mind, you...you...degenerate!" Asuka yelled, shaking a fist at her smirking guardian in frustration. "Ugh! You know what, I don't have to take this!" She complained, turning on her heel and storming off in a huff. "Just keep me out of your perverted imagination!"

"Sure thing, Asuka!" Misato called brightly before turning back to Shinji and smirking at his pronounced blush. "Now then Shinji, where were we? Oh yes, now, halfway through you want to make sure you use your..."

* * *

Mercifully, Asuka's door muffled their _stupid_ voices so she didn't have to listen to their _stupid _conversation about that _stupid _date.

"Ugh. What is wrong with her?!" She huffed, drawing a hand through her hair. "Does she have no shame at all?"

"_I'dunno. Maybe she traded it for more booze." _Red chirped amiably. _"Like an IOU note or something."_

Asuka giggled a bit at that image. "Yeah, maybe."

There was silence for a moment as Asuka laid down on her bed. The room was smaller than she would've liked, but...she could deal with it. Even if it did mean giving up almost half her wardrobe.

"_Sooooooooo, now what?"_ Red asked brightly.

"Now?" Asuka stretched languidly, working the kinks out of her back. "Now, you and I are going to have a little talk." She put her hands behind her head, wiggling her toes a little.

"_Well, if you say so!" _Red chirped. _" Um, about what, exactly?"_

Asuka frowned a bit. "Well, first of all, when did you wake up?" She asked quietly, glancing towards the door for a moment.

"_Oh...Um...I think six am?"_ Red's tone, while still bright, seemed a bit perplexed by Asuka's question. _"Pretty close to that anyway."_

Asuka narrowed her eyes, feeling a distinct urge to groan. "I didn't mean today." She hissed quietly, stopping herself from insulting the voice.

"_Ohhhhhhhh!"_ Red said, her tone full of realization. _"You mean the first time! Um...That would be...about...a month ago? I think?"_

Asuka flipped over onto her stomach, her hands idly laying with her sheets."You think?"

"_Well, I didn't really mark the day, y'know?"_

Asuka turned over on the bed, regarding the wall coolly. "So, you don't remember the ship?" She asked, closing her eyes and imagining her trip to Tokyo-3 and everything that had happened during it.

"_A ship?" _Red asked cluelessly._ "When were we on a ship?"_

Asuka sighed. "...never you mind."

"_Okay."_ Red agreed blankly.

Asuka rolled her eyes, turning back to stare at her boring ceiling. "Anyway, I-"

"I should've just said no..."

"Hm?" Asuka sat up, turning to look at her door. "That was the Third's voice."

"_He sounds worried about something."_

She leaned forward to listen closer, and was rewarded with the muffled sound of a door closing.

Asuka, her curiosity roused, got up and put on a pair of white socks to muffle her footsteps. Then she padded to her door and opened it, taking pains to be as quiet as possible. She slipped across the darkened hall, and pressed up against his door, careful not to actually touch it.

"What do I do...Misato told me a bunch of stuff I should do for her...but..."

_It's about Hikari!_ Asuka narrowed her eyes. _I almost forgot that idiot was taking her out. God, it'll be a disaster if I'm not there...to keep an eye on them!_

"Maybe...Maybe it'll all work out..."

Having heard enough, Asuka slipped away from the door and got back in her room just as quietly as she'd left.

"_What was that about?" _ Red asked as Asuka dressed for bed in record time. _"He didn't really say anything before you left." _

"I heard all I needed to." The redhead answered simply, slipping into bed almost mechanically. "Now be quiet. The last thing I need is to wake up tired tomorrow."

"_...Er, okay."_ Red agreed, sounding a bit baffled as Asuka pulled the covers up and shut her eyes. _"Then, good night..."_ She said kindly.

Asuka yawned, smiling a bit as she fell to sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day.

* * *

Kozo regarded the man across from him coolly. "...So, you are the one they recommended?" He asked, leaning forward a bit in his chair and resting his arms on the oaken desk.

"I'm pretty sure there's only one Diego Ladro, sir." The dark-skinned man shrugged, the overhead lights glinting off his sunglasses. He sat completely at ease in his tailored suit, his short brown hair and carefully neutral expression making him seem almost forgettable, if not for the fact he was six feet tall and very heavily muscled. "I can go check with them, if you like." He leaned back in the chair, his posture loose and relaxed.

"No, no, that won't be necessary." Kozo said, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable in his uniform. "I'm just surprised someone so accomplished decided to come here."

"Call it the last stop on a guardsman's tour of duty." Ladro said flatly, his voice harsh and scratchy like he'd smoked a lifetime's worth of cigars. "What greater accomplishment to end it with than running protection for the world's saviours?"

"I can certainly understand the appeal. " Kozo said quietly, scanning the man's tanned face for a moment. "It seems quite natural, as your file paints you as a rather outstanding man. In fact, you're almost perfectly tailored to our needs." He sighed, laying his hands flat on the table. "Which makes it all the more surprising you're asking for such a low salary."

The man chuckled mirthlessly. "I'm not big on worldly pleasures or pointless baubles. Way I see it, that money can be better spent helping me do my job, rather than on pointless junk." He took off his sunglasses, folding them up and stuffing them in his shirt pocket.

"That's...very charitable of you." Kozo said quietly, finding the man even more suspicious now that he could see his eyes. He pushed that suspicion down though, keeping the amiable smile plastered on his face. "Very well then. You'll be given command of Section Two in a few days time, once we sort out the paperwork." He stood up, extending his hand to the man. "Mr. Diego Ladro, let me be the first to say 'welcome to NERV'."

"Nice to be working here, Sub-Director Fuyutsuki." Diego took Kozo's hand and shook it mechanically. "I'm glad to do my part in the fight against those monsters." He said with a practised smile as he let go of the old man's hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a team to start assembling." He turned to leave, walking out of the office with an even pace.

The second the door closed, Kozo slumped down in his chair as an immense feeling of dread washed over him. He closed his eyes and took a few breaths to calm down.

After a few moments of quiet, Kozo heard the door open. He didn't bother opening his eyes as footsteps echoed throughout the room. "Ikari, are you sure this is wise?" He asked, already sure of the answer.

"Better to have him where we can put his talents to use, than to refuse him and have the old men distracting us with more pointless complaints." Gendo said evenly, quickly taking a seat in the vacant chair. "In addition, this way he will be of minimal use to Inspector Kaji's investigation." He adjusted his sleeve for a moment before returning his gaze to his subordinate.

"If the truth about him were to ever become known, it would be disastrous for NERV's reputation." Kozo sighed, mechanically opening his desk and pulling out the game board they always used.

"By the time the council would agree to do that it will be too late." Gendo answered, tenting his hands in his lap. "Now then, I believe you start this time?"

"Yes." Kozo agreed, already preparing for another string of losses as he picked up a white stone.

* * *

Shinji sighed quietly as he stood up from the bench, feeling a distinct urge to start pacing around the fountain again. It had been almost fifteen minutes since he'd gotten here, and Hikari hadn't shown up, or even called him. Not that he could blame her for deciding not to come. "I guess she's not really here..."

"_Eh. Not too surprised she decided to ditch. " _Gig jibed. _"I mean, this is you we're talking about."_

Shinji slumped, making a puppylike whine of discontent. "Maybe I'll just go home..." He shook his head and reluctantly got up. Slowly, he began to walk around the fountain next to the bench, getting one last look at the pretty water feature before he left.

He'd taken only five steps when he ran into someone.

"_-And random girl with the block!"_

"Oof!" He heard a girl say.

"S-sorry miss, I didn't mean to..." He turned to apologize, only to fall silent as he came face to face with Hikari. His mouth fell open a bit as he noticed that she was wearing a white dress that reached almost to her ankles, hiding her white socks and unremarkable brown shoes. He idly noted how her pigtails had been replaced by a shoulder-length ponytail as the rest of him worked for something to say.

"_Well well, I was right! Knocking off those pigtails definitely bumped her up a notch!"_

"Oh...um...Hi." He finally said, feeling a distinct urge to scratch the back of his neck.

"...H-hi." Hikari replied, averting her eyes and blushing prettily.

Gig groaned in pain._ "Kid, you live with a chick who's got tits as big as your head. How can this phase you?"_

"Um...how long have you been here?" He asked, gazing at everything but the girl in front of him.

"...Fifteen minutes." Hikari muttered in embarrassment, her freckles now very visible on her red face.

"_...I take it back." _Gig said flatly. _"I take it all back. You idiots are damn well perfect for each other."_

"Oh. Um...you look pretty." Shinji got out, feeling heat spreading over his own face.

Hikari's blush worsened and she looked away, playing a bit with her dress's sleeve. "Th-thanks...you look good too." She murmured demurely.

"_Hey kid, do you hear someone shouting nonsense? Like they're angry or something? Kid?"_

"So...we should go..." Shinji said, looking towards the exit of the park. "I mean, if...if we want to do anything before it gets too crowded."

"Y-yeah." Hikari nodded, glancing in the same direction. "That's...a good idea."

"_...What torture have I signed on for?"_

Without another word, the two blushing teenagers left the park.

* * *

"_Why are we in a tree?"_ Red asked, sounding very perplexed. _"This doesn't really seem like a good idea."_

"Because I need to keep an eye on them without them noticing!" Asuka whispered, intently watching the two teens next to the fountain. "In case you forgot, that's my friend out there, and I have to make sure that fool doesn't do anything with her!"

"_Uh, why? Didn't you say you could trust her yesterday?" _

"Er, I...that is...Look I just have to, okay?!" Asuka hissed, watching the two round the fountain and continue past a set of trees. "Good, they're gone. Now I just have to...to..." She glanced at the ground for a moment, realizing an important truth as she did. "How do I get down from here?" She paused for a moment, realizing another important truth. "...Come to think of it, How did I get _up_ here?"

"_Um...Was the ground always that far away?"_ Red asked. _"I don't remember it being that far away...maybe we should call for help?"_

"You shut up!" Asuka snapped testily. "It's easy to get down! Watch!"

The redhead took a deep breath, only to abruptly freeze as she heard an ominous cracking noise beneath her feet.

"_...I'm watching!"_

* * *

Hikari stopped. "Um, Shinji? Did you hear something?" She asked, turning to look back down the tree-lined dirt path.

"Hear what?" the young man asked, stopping a few feet away.

"I thought I heard someone cursing." She said, looking around a bit.

Shinji listened, but didn't hear anything. "It's probably nothing important." He said after a moment, shrugging a bit.

"Yeah, it probably was." Hikari admitted, smiling as she started walking again. "Anyway, let's keep going."

* * *

"_...I guess you were right!"_ Red chirped brightly. _"It really __**was**__ easy to get down!"_

"Shut up..." Asuka groaned irascibly as she lay flat on the ground.

* * *

Kaji sighed quietly as he walked down the sidewalk. Days like these were getting steadily rarer, and he was grateful to be able to just relax and enjoy himself. He could go shopping, get a bite to eat, maybe buy a gift for Misato and spin that into a date, and then...

His cellphone rang. In one smooth motion, he fished the thing out of his shirt pocket and put it to his cheek, answering the call before the first ring was even halfway finished. "Hello?" He said neutrally, ready to switch tones immediately depending on who was on the other end.

"_Kaji?"_

Instantly, a cocky grin snapped onto his unshaven face, and his walk slowed right down. "Well, well, Katsuragi." He chuckled confidently. "To what do I owe the honor of your-?"

"_Can the act." _Misato said curtly. _"I'm not in the mood." _

Kaji sighed, shaking his head a little. "Worth a shot. Anyway, what is it? This is my day off, you know."

Misato sighed quietly. _"Look, I need you to...look after Shinji and that Horaki girl. I want their date to go well, you know?"_

Kaji cocked his head to the side, stopping in the middle of the crowded sidewalk. "You want me to babysit them?"

"_Well, not 'babysit' them, but..."_ Misato paused for a moment. _"More like...nudging them along, you know?"_

"...Oh, I see." He intoned thoughtfully, thinking over his options. "You want me to keep an eye on them, and maybe just 'happen' to be around for advice or recommendations?" He moved to lean against a store window as someone jostled him. "Do I have it right?"

"_Yeah."_

Kaji grinned roguishly. "Weeeellll...This _is_ my day off, you know. I can't do this for free, so let me see..." He said smugly, opening his palm and counting off on his fingers. "Since its a personal favour, I might be able to get you a discount..."

There was an aggrieved sigh on the other end of the line._ "...I'll go out with you this Sunday."_

The man snapped his fingers. "Sold."

"_Thanks. Now, if you'll excuse me-Oh, Pilot Ayanami! Just who I wanted-"_

The line went dead, and Kaji stuffed his phone back in his pocket with a frown. He put a hand to his chin as he pushed off from the window. "Now, if I was a lovestruck boy like him, where would I go?" He muttered softly, pausing a moment before he shook his head. "Like hell I know what goes on in that boy's head...I really should've asked her where they were going to go..."

Kaji looked up, only to spy a redhead walking down the other side of the street. She was clad in an oversized coat and wide-brimmed hat, and moved with short, quick bursts that served only to draw attention to her. She bumped into several people before taking off in a dash down the street.

With a feeling of mild bemusement, Kaji realized both who was under that ridiculous outfit, and the only reason she would wear it in such hot weather.

Chuckling softly, he began following her, slipping through the crowd with practised ease as the sun rose higher in the sky.

* * *

"So, we're watching a movie?" Hikari asked, gazing at the decrepit old movie theatre. The place was old, but in a way that made it seem torn between two choices. The first was to cast off the remnants of the past and become a modern entertainment venue. The other was remaining a decrepit old deathtrap masquerading as a modern movie theatre.

Shinji read the placard above them. "It sounds like they're running some series of old films. Right now it's something called 'the Lady of Light." He peered at the list. "It's on in like ten minutes."

Hikari smiled. "That sounds so romantic..." She said dreamily, closing her eyes and humming softly.

"It does?"

The brunette started. "Uh, I mean, it sounds like it would be neat to see! Let's go inside!" She said quickly, almost dashing into the dark theatre.

"W-wait...!" He said weakly, following after her before the doors even closed.

It took only a few moments before a huffing and puffing redhead in an overcoat and wide brimmed hat followed them inside.

* * *

"_Mayoka! My love for you burns as bright as the stars in the sky!" _

"_Mr. Mateo...I..."_

"_Come now. A beauty such as yours must shine as the bright sun in the sky, not as some diamond hidden deep in the dark, cold earth. Come with me, so everyone can see the greatness that resides in you."_

"_Oh, Mateo!"_

"_Oh, Mayoka!"_

"Pffft..." Hikari started giggling as the two characters onscreen embraced. "This is really a classic?"

"Oh..." Shinji said, casting a glance around the nearly deserted theatre. "S-sorry if its not what you wanted."

She shook her head. "No its okay...this is just...this movie is so silly." She waved a hand towards the screen. "I mean, listen to them! Nobody talks like that!" Her shoulders shook a bit as she broke into a round of fresh giggles.

Shinji, despite himself, started giggling too. "Yeah..."

The moment was interrupted when the two heard a loud, dreamy sigh from behind them. They turned around, finding some smiling girl in a overcoat three sizes too big for her and a wide-brimmed hat. She sighed again, seemingly ignorant of the two's curious gazes.

A little disturbed by the girl, the two turned back and tried to watch the movie without laughing.

It took barely five minutes before they realized something.

"This movie is...actually really bad. It's not even funny now." Hikari said, frowning as the main lead and the girl's father argued over nothing. "I mean, the flyer said it was two hours and thirty minutes, and in like half an hour the plot's over."

"You're right." Shinji agreed, more out of boredom than any other reason.

Hikari sighed, shaking her head as she leaned in close to him. "Let's just go." She said, ignorant of the way he shuffled away from her. "We've still got a while, so maybe we can do something else before the day's over."

Shinji nodded, getting up with her and following her out of the dark theatre.

* * *

"Okay, so now where do we go?" Hikari asked Shinji as they stood outside the theatre, watching the crowds file by.

"Um...I don't know...do you want to go somewhere?" He deflected the question back at her.

Hikari pursed her lips for a moment. "Well, maybe we could..." The brunette trailed off, blushing as her stomach rumbled rather loudly. "S-sorry...I'm kind of hungry...I didn't eat this morning." She admitted sheepishly.

Shinji opened his mouth to reply, only to shut it as his stomach rumbled too. "Eh...That's...kind of true for me, too..." He conceded, scratching the back of his neck.

Hikari laughed a little at that before casting her gaze around the area, weaving back and forth to see past the throngs of people on the sidewalk. "Maybe we can find some little shop or something...

"Well hey there kids!"

They turned, finding an unshaven, ponytailed man emerging from the crowd. He was sloppily dressed, with his tie crooked and his shirt untucked. In his hand was a plastic shopping bag with something inside, they couldn't tell what though.

"Mr. Kaji?" Shinji said, genuinely surprised. "What are you doing here?"

The man flashed a wide grin, his pearly-white teeth almost glinting in the sunlight. "Oh, just doing some shopping." He said easily, rolling his shoulders as he bounced the bag in his hand a bit. "Don't really get the chance much these days."

"For what?" Hikari asked, looking curiously at the bag.

"Oh, it's just a little favour I'm doing for Katsuragi." He said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a black piece of lingerie. "She always loves little things like these."

"M-M-Mr Kaji! P-put that away!" Shinji protested, looking at the man with a shocked expression while Hikari just blushed and stared at the offending item. "W-we're out in public!"

"Oh sure." He agreed, stuffing the item back in the bag. "Wouldn't want to give you two ideas right at the start."

"W-W-W-What?!"

* * *

"GGHHHHHGKFDKFGFGDKD!"

"_Deep breaths! Deep breaths! Remember health class!"_

* * *

"H-huh? What was that?" Hikari and Shinji looked around for the source of the anguished death rattle "That sounded really close...is something going on?"

Kaji smirked, shaking his head in amusement for a moment. "Nah, that wasn't a 'something going on' sound." He put a hand on his chin, looking deep in thought. "I'd say that was just the sound of a thousand teenage fantasies shattering all at once." He mused, his tone full of good humour and understanding.

"...What?"

Kaji rolled his eyes at their confused faces. "Anyway..." He said, crossing his arms and giving the two a level stare. "You two look hungry."

The two blushed, nodding somewhat reluctantly. "Um, yeah." Shinji said, looking quite embarrassed. "We were going to go get lunch, so-"

Kaji clapped his hands. "Perfect! I know just the place!"

Hikari backed up a step in surprise. "You do?" She asked, sheepishly stepping forward after a moment.

"Yeah. It's right over there!" Kaji pointed to his side. "Me and Misato go there all the time."

Hikari and Shinji peered at the indicated place for a moment. "...The Fiery Maid Cafe?" Hikari ventured, sounding very confused. "I didn't think Ms. Katsuragi liked that stuff..."

Kaji nodded, smiling. "Oh yeah, we-er, no!" His eyes snapped open, and the unshaven man quickly shook his head. "Not that one! I meant the one beside it." He pointed again, this time a little to the left.

"Oh." Both teens said dumbly as they read the sign. "Ultimate Shadow Ramen?"

"Yup! It's great!" He clapped his hands on their backs, making the two jump a bit. "Come on then!"

* * *

"Oh my..." Hikari took in the place with wide eyes, her mouth falling open a bit.

It wasn't a dive...at least, not in the regular sense. It was more like the place was trying to be stylish, yet it looked like it had been designed by committee and then that same committee had tried to fit it into the budget. It certainly explained the design 'decisions' like having shiny steel stools and fake wood paneling right next to each other, or trying to make the place warm and dark while using fluorescent lights, or having the floor look like old carpet yet click when you walked on it.

Shinji shrugged. "Well...maybe the food is good? Mr. Kaji and Misato come here, so there has to be something about it..." He turned, only to find his chaperone mysteriously missing. "Mr Kaji? Umm..."

Hikari spun around, moving a bit faster than she intended. "He's gone? Why-"

"Hello! How may I serve you?"

Both teens practically jumped as they whipped around. Standing in front of them was a middle aged, towering brunette with hazel eyes and a slightly forced smile. Her right hand tapped on the podium in front of her, while her left was hanging down by the waist of her black dress pants and white dress shirt.

"Oh, um...we're here for lunch?" Hikari said awkwardly.

"Oh, right this way then!" In seconds, the woman had them seated in a secluded booth at the back of the room. Before either teen could say a word, menus were in their hands and the waitress was gone, leaving only a smile and a promise to check on them.

There was silence for a little while as the two looked at each other and the menus.

"I guess we should order..." Shinji said, shrugging helplessly when Hikari just stared at him. The two flipped open the menus and began to read, their faces alternating between surprise, shock, and confusion with every item they read over.

"...Is that a steak on those noodles?"

"Wait, it 'comes with ice spikes'? Is that why you pay twice as much for it?"

"17 desserts in one? I-Is this for people who _want_ heart attacks?"

"'Jello Italia'? Do...do you use a fork?"

They were barely halfway through when someone sat down nearby with a loud thump, drawing their attention away from the mystifying menus.

Hikari looked up first, twisting around to see who'd come by. "...Asuka?"

Shinji looked up at that. "Asuka?" He asked, grateful for something else to think about. "She's here?"

Hikari motioned with her head. "I swear that's her over there."

On the other side of the room in another secluded booth was a redhead wearing an overcoat three sizes too big for her, with a wide-brimmed hat sitting on the table. She had the menu propped up in front of her, and was leaning down into it, as if to mask her face as much as possible. She continually peeked over the top though, sneaking glances between Hikari and Shinji's table and the main entrance.

"I...I think that is her." Shinji said after watching the girl sneak a glance over the top for the fifth time. "But, why is she acting so strange?" He cocked his head as she peeked out from the side this time.

"Maybe she's waiting for someone?" Hikari offered, turning back to him. "She-"

"Hello! Are you ready to order?"

Stifling a gasp, the two looked up into the face of the waitress from earlier. She had an expectant smile on her face, and her arms were folded across her chest.

"Umm..." Shinji fumbled for something to order. "Uh...I'll have...the Steak Ramen?" He said awkwardly, picking the first thing on the page.

"Great!" She said, producing a notepad and writing in it at blinding speed. "And the lady?"

Hikari blushed. "Um...what he's having?" She said, looking as lost as her date did.

"Great!" The waitress beamed, her notepad vanishing the instant she flipped it shut. "I'll be back with your orders shortly!" She collected their menus and turned on her heel in one motion, vanishing into the kitchen in a way that both teens thought impossibly fast.

With both still mulling over the disconcerting actions of their waitress, it felt like barely a moment had passed before the woman came back. with two bowls on a plate. She set them down in front of the two with a practised ease, and immediately vanished.

The two slowly gazed down at the bowls in front of them.

"well...It's definitely got a steak in it..." Hikari said slowly, poking at it with her knife for a moment. "It doesn't look so bad..." She abuptly froze for a moment. "Um...Shinji?"

"Y-yes?"

"...When did we get knives?"

After a long, awkward silence, Shinji slowly cut off a piece and ate it, chewing for a little while before swallowing. "Well, its not...bad..." His stilted delivery did nothing to make either of them feel better.

Hikari did the same, pulling a confused face as she ate a bit more of the steak...ramen...whatever it was. "This is just...I mean, n-nothing's wrong with it, it's just...I mean..." She fumbled over the words for a moment. "It...It just doesn't feel right. Does that make sense?"

It didn't, but Shinji nodded anyway. "Maybe we should just go..." He said, getting up when Hikari nodded. "It's not really-"

"Ah, you've finished!"

Shinji jumped, grimacing as his knee banged into the table. He took a sharp breath before he looked up, spying a similar look of pain on Hikari's face before he turned to the waitress. "Uh...Y-yes...I think we have..." He spoke slowly, straining to sound normal.

"Great! Follow me and we'll settle the bill at the front." The waitress turned and left, dragging the two teens behind her with merely her presence. They crashed into each other a bit as they reached the podium, getting to the front of it just as the waitress finished ringing up the bill. "Alright! Here's the bill!" She handed them a slip of paper.

Shinji felt a distinct urge to gasp. That many zeroes should not be there for a bowl of ramen and a steak. Dread began to rise up his spine as he realized he had no way to afford this. The look on Hikari's face seemed to share that realization.

"Cash or charge is fine with us." The waitress smiled in a way that did nothing to calm the two.

"Umm...We...uh..."

"Great! I'll pay cash, then."

The two turned as a wad of bills was stuffed between them. Right behind them was Kaji, still unshaven and wearing a sloppy grin to match his sloppy outfit. "Keep the change, miss." He said with a wink and a smile as he swept the two towards the entrance.

"Thank you! Have a nice day!" The woman called as the unshaven man practically dragged the frozen teens out the door.

The woman watched them leave, letting out a quiet sigh when he was out the door. "Sheesh...why order something like that if you can't-oof!" She felt someone elbow past her and sprint out the door. "Hey! You can't just leave!"

"I didn't order anything!" The girl barked as she dashed out the door.

The waitress just stared quietly for a moment before turning back to the girl's table. "...huh. She left her hat." The waitress thought for a moment, and then walked over and picked the hat up. "...Hey! It fits! And it looks pretty good!" She posed a bit, giggling quietly.

"MIKAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Came a old, gravelly roar from the back.

"C-coming Boss!"

* * *

"I guess it was good Mr. Kaji paid for our lunch like that." Hikari said, walking down the loosely packed sidewalk with Shinji.

"Yeah..." The young man sighed. "I couldn't afford anything like that."

"Neither could I. I've never even seen that many zeroes." She shook her head. "Still, it's weird he did that for us and then just vanished. How does he do that, anyway?"

"I don't kno-oof!" Shinji cut off as someone elbowed past him. Rubbing his side gingerly, he stopped and looked around for a moment, suddenly noticing all the people practically running around them. "Is there a sale going on?" He said carelessly, looking in the window to his left.

"Huh?" Hikari stopped, noting his gaze and turning herself to get a look. "Oh hey, this is that new toy store!" She said brightly, her face lighting up as she stepped closer to the window. "Oh, look at this little guy! He's so _cute!_" She pointed into the bin on the other side, which was filled with fuzzy things that looked vaguely like dolphins.

"...I don't really see it." Shinji said after a moment's pause.

"Oh, you just need to hold one! I'll show you!" Hikari said, motioning for him to come inside for a moment before simply running through the doors, Shinji reluctantly following a moment later.

A minute later, a running redhead in an oversized coat slowed to a stop in front of the store. She looked inside, shivering powerfully for a moment as the sun beat down on her. Then, she just started walking again, as if nothing had happened.

* * *

"I still don't see the cute part..." Shinji said slowly, staring at the little blob of fuzz in his date's hands.

"But just look at his little flipper arms!" Hikari wiggled the stubby arms of the blue whale-ish thing for emphasis. " And just look at how cheap he is! I could get like eight of these for me- I mean Nozumi!" She giggled a bit, smiling broadly for a moment before turning back to the case. "So I...where'd they go?"

"Oh, sorry!" They turned around once they heard the woman apologize. She had short brown hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a nice white shirt with some long jeans. "I didn't know you still wanted one." She motioned towards the case with her arms, which were filled to bursting with the fuzzy little animals dolls.

"Miss Ibuki?" Shinji said, stepping forward for a moment. "Umm...why are you here?"

Maya smiled a bit. "It's my day off, and since I'm going to a wedding soon, these are going to be gifts for the lucky couple." Her gaze turned faraway for a moment. "Gifts for people who will promise to be with each other forever..."

"Aw, that's so _sweet!_" Hikari squealed happily, her bright smile now almost blinding. "Here, take this one!" She said, stuffing the doll into the older brunette's arms.

"Oh thanks!" Maya said cheerily, fighting to keep everything in her arms. "Now I can give them a whole set!"

"You're welcome miss!" Still smiling brightly, Hikari grabbed Shinji's arm. "Come on, let's see if we can't find any for us-I mean them!" She urged, heedless of the way he was tensing under her iron grip.

"H-hey, q-quit pulliiiing!" Shinji said, panic rising in his voice while the brunette dragged him off.

Maya watched them go, a sweet smile on her face as they vanished around the aisle corner. "Oh, those two are _adorable._" She cooed, giggling a bit at the sight.

"It's great to see them enjoying themselves, right?"

"Yeah! Shinji's got a great smile when he- ah!" Maya jumped a bit and turned around, almost dropping the stuffed animals as she saw who was with her. "Inspector Kaji? What are you doing here?"

The man shrugged. "Call it a favour for Katsuragi." He said, offering a plastic bag that Maya gratefully accepted. "She wants me to make sure those two hit it off, or at least keep out of trouble. Course, I can't be obvious about it."

"Oh." Maya glanced over to where the two teens had disappeared. "Must be tough doing that all by yourself." She reasoned, dumping the animals into the bag. "Especially since you have to stay so close to them."

Kaji was silent for a moment before he turned back to the brunette. "Say, Ibuki."

"Yes?"

He glanced around quickly. "You're free this afternoon, right?"

"Well, I'm not doing anything important..." She cocked her head. "Why?"

He motioned for her to come closer. "Well..."

* * *

"Umm...sorry for doing that to you." Hikari apologized again, walking down the street with a penitent expression on her face. "I...should've asked."

"I-it's okay." Shinji replied, gingerly rubbing the angry red spot on his arm where she had grabbed him. "I...I know you were just trying to help miss Ibuki...you don't have to apologize."

She shook her head, her gait slowing as the crowd around them began to thin out. "No...that's not true. I wanted to show you all that stuff, but I shouldn't have hurt you trying to do it." Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a quiet sigh. "It was wrong of me to drag you around like that..."

"Oh..."

"E-Even if it felt nice." She mumbled, looking away from him.

Shinji stopped dead in his tracks. "N-Nice?" He asked, his eyes wide as he felt the spot on his arm grow warm.

Hikari started. "Oh! Ummm..." Slowly, she turned back to him, a nervous smile on her face. "...Y-yes?" She admitted, blushing brightly.

Shinji blushed back, feeling very warm all of a sudden. "Oh...I, uh," He began to stammer, his gaze darting around until it settled on something behind his date. "That's...that's..."

"Ummm...Shinji?" Hikari frowned as the blush drained from Shinji's face, his shy smile replaced by a frown of suspicion. "What's wrong?"

The boy pointed past her. " That's Mr. Kaji over there, right?" He asked slowly, squinting a bit.

Hikari turned around, shielding her eyes with her hands as she looked for the scruffy inspector. Sure enough, only a moment's gaze was needed to confirm who was down the street, and that he wasn't alone. "And...Miss Ibuki? Where did the stuffed animals go?"

"And..." They watched as a redhead strode up to the two and began speaking to the older man. "That's Asuka talking to them!"

"Wait..." Hikari frowned, putting a finger to her lips for a moment. "Do...do you think they're following us?" She asked, her tone highly unsure. "Is that something they'd do?"

"...Mr. Kaji said he was doing a favour for Misato." Shinji said thoughtfully. "...and... she's the one who told me about the theatre..." He trailed off, trading a glance with Hikari.

Less than a moment later, a powerful shiver worked through the two.

"...Um...maybe we can go this way." Shinji said calmly as he turned around and began walking with a speed that said he was anything but. "Just...Just to be safe."

Hikari fell into step beside him, nervously glancing over her shoulder every few steps. "Yeah. W-we're probably overreacting anyway." She tried to laugh as they stopped at the curb. "Besides, it's not like she'd get everybody you know to-"

"Oh, hello Shinji." Came a calm, measured voice from behind them. "Who's your friend?"

It took a monumental effort for the two not to jump out of their skins as they slowly turned around.

Before them was Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, wearing a blue blouse and a medium length brown skirt, with a pair of smart black dress shoes. Her smile was small and slight, while her eyes held a look of calm contentment.

"H-hello, Dr. Akagi." Shinji squeaked, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "This is...uh...H-Hikari Horaki." His nails began to dig into his palm as the girl beside him nodded.

"Hm? Is something the matter?" Ritsuko asked, cocking her head. "You sound worried about something."

"Uh...No, no I'm fine." Shinji said, slowly inching backwards in sync with Hikari. "Um...uh..."

"Well, you don't really soun-..."

The two teens broke. They turned and ran from the woman as fast as they could, sprinting across the intersection and vanishing into the forested park on the other side.

Ritsuko just stood there, staring into the park with a look of confusion on her face. Her face scrunched up into a frown for a moment before she turned away with a shake of her head.

"...What was _that _about?" she muttered, striding into a flower shop close by.

* * *

"Hah...Hah...I think..." Hikari panted, wiping her forehead as she sank to her knees. "...we lost...her."

"I...hope...so." Shinji puffed, barely resisting the urge to sit down and never get up.

"...hah...Oh, no..." Hikari glanced at her dress and let out a groan of exhausted frustration. "Sis loaned this to me...now its all ruined..." She drew a finger through the dirty smudges as her shoulders slumped. "Maybe she'll forgive me if I tell her I just tripped..." She moved to get up, still a little unsteady.

Without even thinking about it, Shinji held out his hand, and Hikari took it gratefully. Both of them only realized what they were doing after she was already on her feet.

With a slight yelp, the two of them pulled apart, both blushing like mad.

"Ah...th-thanks for helping me up..." Hikari said, her eyes squeezing shut.

"N-no problem..." Shinji stuttered, acutely aware of the way his hand felt very nice all of a sudden.

The two lapsed into an embarrassed silence, fidgeting continually as they looked at everything but each other.

Hikari broke the silence first. "So...Um...do you think Mr. Kaji is still following us?"

* * *

"Ow!" Asuka yelped as she was once again thrown back into the alcove by the human wall in front of her. "Let me through!" She demanded impotently, trying to force her way through the unyielding crowd.

"Asuka, you're just going to have to wait." Kaji said evenly, leaning against the papered over doors behind them. "Even someone like you can't force her way through a crowd like that."

"Well, how long am I going to have to wait?!" Asuka snapped impatiently. "I feel like I've been here forever!"

Kaji directed a meaningful glance towards Maya, who simply shrugged.

"Well, the stores close around five, so we can probably leave by then." She said casually, reexamining the contents of her shopping bag once she finished. "Or sometime around then."

Kaji just laughed quietly as Asuka took less than a second to launch herself into the crowd once again.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity for the two fidgeting teens, salvation arrived in the form of rhythmic, muffled noises.

"Do...do you hear that?" Shinji murmured quietly, squinting between the trees before them.

"Yeah...yeah, I do!" Hikari said, her voice growing a bit enthusiastic. "It sounds like a concert or something...let's check it out!"

The two started walking, only vaguely aware of what they were doing as they followed the distant sound. In what felt like no time at all, they came upon a clearing filled with rows of chairs and a simplistic stage. Most of the seats were empty, but the elderly men and women onstage played like the place was packed.

The two sat down almost without thought and began to listen.

"This is nice..." The brunette sighed, her voice a bit dreamy.

"Yeah..." Shinji nodded for a moment, only to start squinting. "it...Is that Ayanami?"

Hikari suppressed a groan. "You're kidding..." She followed his gaze, her face scrunching up in a frown.

There, sitting at the front was the blue-haired girl in question. She was dressed in her school uniform, and was intently listening to the performance.

"How does this keep happening..." Hikari complained, awkwardly gesturing to the pale girl.

"Wait, I don't think she noticed us..." His eyes widened with inspiration. "Maybe if we're quiet, she won't see us?"

Hikari thought for a moment, then shrugged. "...Worth a shot."

The two settled back to listen, losing themselves in the music as the concert went on.

* * *

"That was great!" Hikari chirped amiably, her gaze sweeping around the tree-lined path. "I just wish it was longer. They really finished faster than I was expecting."

"Yeah, they were pretty good." Shinji agreed, a slight smile on his face. "They really got into it halfway through." He smiled at the memory. "It was a lot different than listening to a recording."

Hikari giggled as they rounded the corner. "...Still, I think my favourite part was-"

They stopped dead with a short gasp. Barely a hundred feet away, at the entrance of the park, was Ayanami. Worse, she was talking to Kaji, Maya and Asuka, all of whom seemed to be listening intently.

"They _are_ following us!" Hikari hissed. "Quick, let's go the other way before they see us!"

Shinji nodded quietly, and the two began running for the opposite side of the park.

* * *

"Haaaaahh...Haaaaahhhh..." Shinji gasped as he slid to a stop in front of an apartment block, his hands on his knees. "Never...want...to do this...again." He coughed harshly for a moment. "My heart...is going...to explode." He spared a single glance at the clear glass doors before his gaze returned to his knees.

"Hah...Ahah...haaaaahh..." Hikari leaned against a nearby light pole for support, taking gigantic breaths that just made her dirty dress look even worse. "...Not if...mine does...first."

"S-sorry...this all happened." Shinji apologized, almost choking for breath between his words. "I...know it was annoying...to get followed everywhere."

He looked up at Hikari, seeing her start laughing wheezily. "Wh-What? What is it?" He frowned, and looked away. "I'm sorry...if you didn't have any fun."

The brunette smiled wearily. "Don't be..." She said, stepping forward and drawing him into a light hug that he was too exhausted to resist. "Because...I still had fun..." she whispered.

Suddenly, Shinji felt warm in a whole new way. "...Really?" He asked, shock and hope warring in his tone. "You...had fun?"

She giggled slightly. "Yeah...Cause I was with you."

Without another word, she leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. Shyly, she drew back, finding her fiery blush mirrored on his face. "I'd like to do this again...is that okay?"

"Yes?" He agreed instantly, too starstruck to even think about what he was saying.

"...Thank you." Hikari favoured him with one more smile before she turned and hurried into the apartment building, picking up her dress as she started to run down the hall.

Once she was out of sight, Shinji, slowly and mechanically, turned around and began walking home, touching his warm cheek every few steps.

* * *

The front door shut behind Shinji with a soft click, shrouding him in the warm gloom of the apartment. He slowly took off his shoes, wearing a smile so wide it was almost frightening. He filed through the dark kitchen like he was walking on clouds, too preoccupied to notice how the apartment was empty.

"_Zzzzzzz...snrk...hm?"_

Shinji didn't even give the living room a second glance as he stepped into the hallway. His hand traced along the wall, opening his door without even thinking about it.

"_Haaaaa...huh? We're back home...?"_

He stepped into his room and shut the door with his foot. the stupid grin refusing to leave his face as he began to change into his nightclothes.

"_Hey kid. Did I miss anything important? You get to fourth base or whatever it is?"_

Shinji stopped for a moment, halfway through putting on his nightshirt. Then, he began laughing softly, his tone almost giddy as he finished pulling on his shirt.

"_...The hell's wrong with you?"_

Now finished dressing, Shinji climbed into bed. He shut his eyes in seconds, the smile refusing to leave his face as he drifted off to sleep.

"_H-Hey! I'm talking to you!"_

Shinji rolled over, and soft snores began to echo around the room.

"_...Meh, I'll just chew him out tomorrow. It's not like I'm getting anything out of him right now..."_

* * *

"_That's it, I'm giving them a call! I deserve an explanation!"_


End file.
